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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania » Eastern Regional Research Center » Microbial and Chemical Food Safety » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #347745
Research Project: Integration of Multiple Interventions to Enhance Microbial Safety, Quality, and Shelf-life of Foods

Location: Microbial and Chemical Food Safety

Title: The role of emerging technologies to ensure the microbial safety of fresh produce, milk and eggs

Author
item Mukhopadhyay, Sudarsan
item Ukuku, Dike

Submitted to: Current Opinion in Food Science
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/15/2018
Publication Date: 1/15/2018
Citation: Mukhopadhyay, S., Ukuku, D.O. 2018. The role of emerging technologies to ensure the microbial safety of fresh produce, milk and eggs. Current Opinion in Food Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cofs.2018.01.013.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: This article reviews emerging techniques that are applied in the produce and dairy industry to ensure product safety. Microbial safety of produce, dairy and egg continues to be a major concern. According to Economic Research Service, USDA the cost of foodborne illnesses in the U.S. tops $15.6 billion. Food can be contaminated by human pathogens anywhere in the farm to table continuum. Foods are often processed to ensure safety. Food processing technologies are action or method that is used to maintain foods at certain desirable properties. The traditional processing method is thermal technology which refers to the application of heat energy. Thermal processing is an effective way of preserving food because the great majority of harmful pathogens are killed at temperatures close to the boiling point of water. However, consumer demand for more natural fresh-like food and raised economic standards have triggered the development of emerging technologies to replace traditional well-established thermal processing. In recent years, many new sophisticated nonthermal preservation techniques have developed for fruits, vegetables, milk and eggs to extend the quality and shelf-life, minimize risk, protect the environment, and improve functional, sensory, and nutritional properties. Many of emerging preservation technologies have already reached commercial adoption in specific applications while many others remain promising. Development of suitable equipment, especially for continuous processing and standardization of the process parameters for easy regulatory approval will pave the way for improved emerging technologies.