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The immense research interest in clay sciences is driven by the easy availability in nature, extraordinary properties, wide range of applicability, cheaper and less toxicity. Clay minerals have a huge potential to explore and/or manipulate application specific physical properties in the lab. Nano-structured clay broadly can be classified as aggregated nano-clay, isolated nano-clay particles (tactoid), intercalated clay and exfoliated clay. Clay shows the properties related to nano-structuring to its fullest when exfoliated and many interesting physical, morphological characteristic and improved properties are observed. Clay based nano-composites materials provide significant properties improvements even at low nanoparticles content. Effort is made to strengthen the understanding on effect of size, shape and the chemical compositions to properties relations. The optimization of adsorption properties, swelling behavior, rheological properties optimization, nano-sized clay development and design of polymer–clay composites development opens the new prospect of research and application of clay minerals. To obtain a uniform distribution with strong linking between polymer to particles remains a critical challenge in order to obtain properties like flame retardant, mechanical, barrier and thermal properties, etc. This chapter focuses more in-depth on the synthesis and properties of clay-polymer composite. Processing of Clay-polymer nano-composites such as conventional solution blending, melt blending, in situ polymerization and the use of ultrasounds in enhancement of nanoparticles dispersion has been discussed. To reach the optimal properties that is required for specific applications, selection of composition, clay microstructure and processing is the key and has been elaborated in this section.

The chapter deals with the advances in technologies for industries related to the production of probiotics, prebiotics and nutraceuticals. The novel innovations in important produces such as milk-based products, fruit- and vegetable-based products, root- and tuber-based products, dried probiotics and beverages are elucidated. Further, the latest technological interventions in nanotechnology, microencapsulation and immobilization techniques with respect to the functional food industries are presented. The chapter also describes the food ethics, safety, regulations and the functional food market.