Nanoscience and nanotechnology have experienced a dizzying development in recent years, which undoubtedly contributes to various fields of human activity such as biotechnology, engineering, medical sciences, food security, etc. This impact has taken place in the food field too, especially in the role played by nanomaterials (NMs) for producing quality nano-based products, food shelf life, and target-specific bioactive delivery, since traditionally the presence of these materials was not at the nano-scale. Anyway, switching these materials to their nano-forms carries benefits as well as risks that must be assessed. Thus, the evaluation of the presence and quantity of these NMs must be achieved based on reliable physic-chemical-analytical information; hence the impact that analytical chemistry should have in the nanoscience to develop validated methodologies for its control. Currently, this fact represents a significant challenge due to the difficulties of measuring entities at the nanoscale in complex samples such as those of food. This review critically explores these analytical challenges, their difficulties, and their trends within the general framework of NMs’ analytical monitoring in food.

Among the species of the rich algological flora of the North Atlantic, some can be used for direct consumption in human food, although few are currently cultivated on a large scale and/or marketed for this purpose. The European tradition regarding this custom is practically nil and the expression of current eating habits is little different from the past. In Europe, only in times of hunger (for example, during the Great World Wars) was seaweed consumed by the populations closest to the coastline. In addition to the multiple applications described, which expanded enormously in the 1970s, based on phycocolloids (agar, carrageenans, and alginates)—used as thickeners in the food industry, in soups, meat preserves, dairy products, and pastries—there is currently a trend of increasing consumption, both in North America and Europe.