Location: Food Quality Laboratory
Project Number: 8042-43440-006-015-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Oct 1, 2024
End Date: Aug 31, 2025
Objective:
The agreement in general will support the development of a novel nanotexture coating technology that prevents adherence of materials to surfaces commonly used in the harvest-to-retail display chain. Specifically, the agreement will allow us to determine the potential for using the nanotexture coating in fresh-cut processing facilities. For this, we plan to coat half of the conveyer belts (along the direction of the processing flow) in our processing facility, and conduct ATP measurements and determination of the presence of non-pathogenic (surrogate) bacteria after different volumes of fresh-cut produce loads are processed. Benefits of the reduced risk for cross contamination will be based on the analysis of both surface that are and are not in contact with the produce (e.g. walls of processing room). To support the development of a new nanotexture coating technology that prevents adherence of materials to surfaces commonly used in the harvest-to-retail display chain.
Approach:
1) In support to the demonstration of the effectivity of the technology (objective 3 and 5 of the project) a pilot fresh-cut pilot plant will be subjected to the coating, covering half of the area of the equipment in the direction orientation of the continuous flow of the process. The processing lines will include several fruits and vegetables commonly used for producing ready-to-eat commodities (i.e. fresh cut lettuce, spinach, melon, apples). Measurements to assess adherence of materials and overall dirtiness (e.g. ATP measurements, TCP for biofilm presence, and swabs for microbial quantification) will be performed after each individual product operation. Food processing runs will also include products previously inoculated with validated surrogates that are useful for studying E. coli O157:H7. Findings will serve both as additional background data of the effectiveness and optimization of the coatings and to conduct live demonstrations to stakeholders in the D.C. area or for video recording to contribute to the project’s training activities. 2) Economic feasibility studies to adapt the novel technology, under objective 5: In addition to support the analysis of the fresh food industry trends in the area of decontamination of equipment and tools, and water savings efforts, economic simulation for implementing the coatings along surfaces (individually and cumulative) in the farm-to-retailer continuum will be conducted using as model lettuce produced in Yuma, Arizona and processed/retail in the mid-Atlantic East Coast. The latter will include benchmarking appraisals that would include prominent available options and common current practices (e.g. frequent washing with chlorine solutions). 3) The outreach/extension component in this collaboration will focus a) in presenting at an annual event of major stakeholders with national scope and office/venue in DC (e.g. PMA/United Fresh) and b) the organization of a dedicated meeting grouping farmers/shippers/processors and others supply chain agents in the mid-Atlantic area with the theme “Safe and efficiency in the supply chain of fresh produce” including direct findings of the project in combination with other relevant work developed by other invited presenters.
