Source: TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
ELECTRON BEAM IRRADIATION AS A PLATFORM TECHNOLOGY TO CLEAN, HEAL, AND FEED THE WORLD AND BEYOND
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
HATCH
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1000859
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 16, 2013
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2018
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
750 AGRONOMY RD STE 2701
COLLEGE STATION,TX 77843-0001
Performing Department
Poultry Science
Non Technical Summary
Today, the world is confronted with urban sprawl, spread of infectious diseases, foodborne disease outbreaks, water shortages, and challenges in securing adequate food supplies. These challenges are global in nature and require solutions that are globally applicable, technologically feasible, and economically sustainable. Coupled to these terrestrial challenges, there is also the renewed interest in exploring our solar system beyond just the near earth orbit. The US is investing significantly to have manned missions to near earth asteroids and possibly mars explorations. These endeavors require new types of space foods as well. To address these global challenges, we can no longer afford incremental changes. The present societal challenges calls for paradigm shifts in our thought processes on how to deploy appropriate technologies across global scales. The overall goal of this Hatch project is to make a transformational change in society by leveraging the core electron beam (eBeam) technology as a platform technology for a multitude of applications that could be termed as 'cleaning, healing, and feeding the world, and beyond"
Animal Health Component
25%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
25%
Developmental
25%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
1120210110010%
1120210110110%
1330210110010%
3113260110010%
5011099110010%
5011129110010%
5021099110010%
7123260110010%
7223310110010%
7231430110310%
Knowledge Area
133 - Pollution Prevention and Mitigation; 311 - Animal Diseases; 112 - Watershed Protection and Management; 501 - New and Improved Food Processing Technologies; 712 - Protect Food from Contamination by Pathogenic Microorganisms, Parasites, and Naturally Occurring Toxins; 722 - Zoonotic Diseases and Parasites Affecting Humans; 723 - Hazards to Human Health and Safety; 502 - New and Improved Food Products;

Subject Of Investigation
3310 - Beef cattle, live animal; 1099 - Tropical/subtropical fruit, general/other; 1129 - Berries and cane fruits, general/other; 1430 - Greens and leafy vegetables; 3260 - Poultry meat; 0210 - Water resources;

Field Of Science
1101 - Virology; 1103 - Other microbiology; 1100 - Bacteriology;
Goals / Objectives
The overall goal of this Hatch project is to make a transformational change in society by leveraging the core electron beam (eBeam) technology as a platform technology for a multitude of applications that could be termed as 'cleaning, healing, and feeding the world, and beyond". The specific objectives of this potentially transformational Hatch project are Research Objective # 1: Perform laboratory and pilot scale studies to demonstrate the uniqueness and applicability of the eBEAD (Ebeam Enhanced Anaerobic Digestion) process to hydrolyze sewage sludges, enhance sludge dewaterability, reduce sludge viscosity, achieve pathogen reduction and enhanced methane gas formation. Research Objective # 2: Determining the phenotypic, metabolic, transcriptomic, proteomic characteristics of metabolically active yet non-culturable (MAyNC)-based vaccine preparations and identify the underlying immune responses of these vaccines in vitro and in animal models Research Objective # 3:Develop the fundamental research necessary to combine electron beam (eBeam) pasteurization of fresh fruits and with modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) for vending machine packages. Research Objective # 4: Evaluate specific foods (of relevance to NASA) within broad food groups such as breads, produce, entrees, milk, and desserts for their ability to withstand eBeam processing (alone or in combination with other relevant technologies) in terms of sensory attributes, nutrient composition, and extended shelf-life
Project Methods
The project will be executed using a task-based approach. Each task will correspond to one or more scientific objectives. The scientific objectives will be under-pinned by a scietific hypothesis. The effort will include a) laboratory research, b) pilot-scale testing and evaluation, c) workshop/classroom instruction, d) and outreach activities. The success of the project will be measured in terms of tangible outputs (eg., research publications, presentations, workshops), grant and contract funding from external sources, student (graduate and undergraduate) training, number of jobs created by companies that are built and sustained using the core technology

Progress 09/16/13 to 08/31/18

Outputs
Target Audience:food industry stakeholders and environmental remediation industry stakeholders Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Graduate students and undergraduate students had significant opportunities to be involved in the laboratory research. Theyalso obtained invaluable experience in presenting their research in oral presentations. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The information has been disseminated via peer-reviewed research articles, articles in scientific trade journals, via invited andvolunteered presentations and via social media LinkedIn and Facebook What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We have made significant progress in our understanding of how microbial cells respond to ionizing radiation at the sub-cellular level. We have transcriptomic and metbolomic datasets indicating that ebeam irradiated cells are metabolically activethough they do not replicate

Publications


    Progress 10/01/17 to 08/31/18

    Outputs
    Target Audience:food industry stakeholders and environmental remediation industry stakeholders Changes/Problems:Other than a hold up on the development of a vaccine against Cl. perfringens . other projects are progressing as expected What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Graduate students and undergraduate students had significant opportunities to be involved in the laboratory research. They also obtained invaluable experience in presenting their research in oral presentations. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?the information has been disseminated via peer-reviewed research articles, articles in scientific trade journals, via invited and volunteered presentations and via social media LinkedIn and Facebook What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue to make advancements in the use of eBEam technology for environmental remdiation, food quality and animal heath

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? We have made significant progress in our understanding of how microbial cells respond to ionizing radiation at the sub-cellular level. We have transcriptomic and metbolomic datasets indicating that ebeam irradiated cells are metabolically active though they do not replicate

    Publications

    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Smith, B., A. Ortega, and S.D. Pillai (2017). Preserving Quality of Fresh Cut Watermelon Cubes for Vending Distribution by Low-Dose Electron Beam Processing. Food Control 72: 367-371
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Shayanfar, S., K. Mena, and S.D. Pillai (2016) Quantifying the Reduction in Potential Infection Risks from Non-O157 Shiga Toxin Producing E.coli in Strawberries by Low Dose Electron Beam Processing. Food Control 72: 324-327
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Madera-Santana, T.J., R. Melendrez, G. Gonzalez-Garcia, P. Quintana-Owen and S.D. Pillai. 2016. Effect of gamma irradiation on physicochemical properties of commercial poly(lactic acid) clamshell for food packaging. Radiation Physics and Chemistry 123: 6-13.
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Zemboua, M.Kaci, S. Bruzard, J-L. Audic, S.Shayanfar and S. D. Pillai. 2016. Electron beam radiation effects on properties and ecotoxicity of PHBV/PLA blends in presence of organo-modified montmorillonite. Polymer Degradation and Stability. 132: 117-126
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Wang, L., B. Batchelor, S.D. Pillai and V.S.V. Botlaguduru. 2016. Electron beam treatment for potable water reuse: removal of bromate and perfluorooctanoic acid. Chemical Engineering Journal. 302: 58-68
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Ward, L.R., C.R. Kerth and S.D. Pillai 2017. Nutrient profiles and volatile odorous compounds of raw milk after exposure to electron beam processing doses. Journal of Food Science. 82: 1614-1621. http://doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.13763
    • Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Pillai, S.D., and J.A. McKelvey. 2017. Molecular Methods for the Detection and Characterization of Foodborne and Environmental Pathogens. DEStech Publications, PA
    • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Pillai, S.D. and S. Shayanfar (2016). Electron beam technology and other irradiation technology applications in the food industry. In. Applications of Radiation Chemistry in the fields of Industry, Biotechnology and Environment, Springer
    • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Pillai SD, and S. Shayanfar (2015). Chapter 1. Introduction to electron beam pasteurization in food processing. In: Electron Beam Pasteurization and Complementary Food Processing Technologies (Eds. S.D. Pillai, and S. Shayanfar), Woodhead Publishing, UK (DOI: 10.1533/9781782421085.1.3
    • Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Pillai, S.D. and S.Shayanfar (Editors) (2015) Electron Beam Pasteurization and Complementary Food Processing Technologies, Woodhead Publishing, UK pp 326.
    • Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Yates MV, Miller RV, Nakatsu CH, Pillai S, D. (Editors) (2015), Manual of Environmental Microbiology, 4th ed. ASM Press, Washington, DC.
    • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Pillai SD and S. Shayanfar (2015). Ch 6. Aseptic packaging of foods and its combination with electron beam processing. In: Electron Beam Pasteurization and Complementary Food Processing Technologies (Eds. S.D Pillai and S. Shayanfar), Woodhead Publishing, UK (DOI: 10.1533/9781782421085.2.83).
    • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Shayanfar S, and S.D. Pillai SD (2015). Chapter 16. Future trends in electron beam technology for food processing. In: Electron Beam Pasteurization and Complementary Food Processing Technologies (Eds. S.D. Pillai and S. Shayanfar), Woodhead Publishing, UK (DOI: 10.1533/9781782421085.3.295).
    • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Pillai, S.D. (2016). Introduction to electron-beam food irradiation. Chemical Engineering Process. November
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Pillai, S.D., and S. Shayanfar. 2018. Electron beam processing of fresh produce- a critical review. Rad. Phy. Chem. 143: 85-88


    Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17

    Outputs
    Target Audience:The target audience have included the following 1. Peer scientists 2. Food, Medical Device, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Industry stakeholders 3. Entrepreneurs 4. US Federal agency and UN agency technical personnel Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We have been successful in organizing a highly customized the 2017 Hands-on workshop in eBeam and X-ray irradiation technologies over the past 8 years. This workshop is the only one of its kind anywhere in the world. To date, we have trained over 100 individuals from all continents Additionally this project has provided training to a number of undergraduate and graduate students at TexasA&M University How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Disseminated through presentations, workshops, journal articles, books and book chapters What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to publish a number of our manuscripts that are currently in preparation. Also, we have been funded by the Department of Defense to explore the applicability of eBeam to break down polychlorinated compounds such as PFOS and PFOA.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? Several key milestones were achieved during this reporting period. They are listed below We have been successful in commercializing the activities at the electron beam facility. We have formed strong partnerships with Walmart resulting in the world's first high throughput processing of mangoes by eBeam technology. In 2017 over 1.3 million pounds of Mexican mangoes were treated at the facility. Presently 5 private entities are responding to a RFP requested by AgriLife Research to take over the commercial operations. The research performed under the NCEBR umbrella is making a contribution to "cleaning, healing, feeding, and shaping this world and beyond' My laboratory has made significant scientific advances in understanding how bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella spp. and STEC respond to ionizing radiation such as eBeam. We will be leveraging this information into preparing advanced vaccine formulations, probiotic cultures, etc. These research advancements have led to expanded collaborations with faculty in the Medical School and elsewhere I continue to make a significant contribution to the international reputation of the National Center for Electron Beam Research. These activities are being recognized by leading national and international agencies such as NASA, Department of Defense, Department of Energy and the IAEA. A major outcome of these activities is the steady adoption of eBeam technology by both government and private entities. We have been successful in organizing a highly customized hands-on workshop in eBeam and X-ray irradiation technologies over the past 8 years. This workshop is the only one of its kind anywhere in the world. I have developed strong partnerships with private enterprises on exploiting eBeam technologies. My laboratory continues to make significant headway into developing commercially-valuable information on how to adopt eBeam technology for food safety, phyto-sanitary applications and other applications. The work products have included research publications, invited presentations and meetings with potential end-users. These activities are bringing together faculty from across the university system, USDA and private industry.

    Publications

    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: 2. Smith, B., A. Ortega, S. Shayanfar, and S.D. Pillai (2017). Preserving Quality of Fresh Cut Watermelon Cubes for Vending Distribution by Low-Dose Electron Beam Processing. Food Control 72: 367-371
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: 3. Shayanfar, S., K. Mena, and S.D. Pillai (2017) Quantifying the Reduction in Potential Infection Risks from Non-O157 Shiga Toxin Producing E.coli in Strawberries by Low Dose Electron Beam Processing. Food Control 72:324-327
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: 4. Wang, L., B. Batchelor, S.D. Pillai and V.S.V. Botlaguduru. (2016). Electron beam treatment for potable water reuse: removal of bromate and perfluorooctanoic acid. Chemical Engineering Journal. 302: 58-68
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: 5. Zemboua, M.Kaci, S. Bruzard, J-L. Audic, S.Shayanfar and S. D. Pillai. (2016). Electron beam radiation effects on properties and ecotoxicity of PHBV/PLA blends in presence of organo-modified montmorillonite. Polymer Degradation and Stability. 132: 117-126
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: 6. Salvatore, M., A. Marra, D. Duraccio, S. Shayanfar, S.D. Pillai and S. Cimmino, and C. Silvestre. 2016. Effect of electron beam irradiation on the properties of polylactic acid/montmorillonite nanocomposites for food packaging applications. J. Appl. Poly. Sci. 133-
    • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Molecular responses of non-O157 shiga toxin producing E.coli (STEC) on eBeam treated strawberries. Shima Shayanfar, Ph.D. FSTC
    • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Transforming raw milk into safe milk using electron beam processing. Lindsay Ward, MS FSTC
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Shayanfar S (2016) Opportunities and challenges of application of eBeam in fresh produce market. International Meeting on Radiation Processing, Nov 7-11, Vancouver
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: 2. Bhatia S.S, and S. D. Pillai 2016. The National Center for Electron Beam Research at Texas A&M University - an IAEA Collaborating Centre for Electron Beam Technology . The Conference on Application of Accelerators in Research and Industry (CAARI). Oct 30-Nov 4. Ft. Worth. Texas
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: 3. Bhatia, S., and S.D. Pillai. 2016. Benchmarking the minimum electron beam (eBeam) dose required to achieve sterility of space foods. International Meeting on Radiation Processing, Nov 7-11, Vancouver, Canada
    • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: 1. Pillai, S.D. 2016. Introduction to electron beam food irradiation. Chemical Engineering Progress 112: 36-44
    • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Pillai, S.D. 2017. Food irradiation  a technology that is moving away from photons to electrons  American Bar Association  Food Cosmetics and Nutraceuticals Committee Newsletter.
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Pathogen metabolomic fluxes during food processing conditions. International Assn. Food Protection. Tampa, FL August 2017
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: 2. Photons to electrons: the rapidly evolving food irradiation technologies and consumer perceptions. Society for Applied Microbiology. Gateshead, UK July 2017
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: 3. The status of electron beam irradiation technology in N. America and the role the NCEBR plays in commercializing the technology. INCT, Warsaw, Poland. June, 2017
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: 4. The research and outreach program at the NCEBR as it relates to environmental quality. INCT, Warsaw, Poland, June 2017
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: The research and outreach program at the NCEBR as it relates to foods. INCT, Warsaw, Poland, June 2017
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: 6. The research and outreach program at the NCEBR as it relates to vaccines INCT, Warsaw, Poland, June 2017
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: 7. Economic aspects of accelerators implementation. IAEA Summer School on Accelerators. Warsaw, Poland June, 2017
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: 8. Electron accelerators for control of biohazards. IAEA Summer School on Accelerators. INCT, Warsaw, Poland. June 2017
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: 9. Just Beam it!  Electron beam technology as a platform technology. Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje. Macedonia. June
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: 10. Electron Beam technology- CIAD, Hermosillo, Mexico June, 2017
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: 12. Microbial inactivation in food products, NIH Safety Symposium, Bethesda, MD May, 2017
    • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: 13. eBeam technology for the water and wastewater industries. Webinar  May, 2017
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: 14. Examples of public-private partnerships in electron beam technology support of the sustainable development goals. IAEA International Conference on Technical Cooperation Programme Sixty Years and Beyond: Contributing to Development. Vienna, Austria. May, 2017
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: 15. Efficacy of electron beam irradiation to address emerging microbial contaminants in water reuse programs. International Conference on Applications of Radiation Science and Technology, Vienna, Austria, April 2017
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: 17. Metabolomic responses to varying linac energy sources, IAEA Research Coordination Meeting, Strasbourg, France, March, 2017
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Microbial inactivation with eBeam, 2016 BD Sterilization Summit, Canaan, CT. Nov.
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: National Center for eBeam Research: eBeam in food and other industries, 2016 BD Sterilization Summit, Canaan, CT, Nov
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: 21. High energy ebeam irradiation for addressing emerging organic pollutants in water reuse programs. IAEA Technical Meeting. Budapest, Hungary, September 2016
    • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: 1. Pillai, S., and S. Shayanfar. 2017. Electron beam technology and other irradiation technology applications in the food industry. In: Applications of Radiation Chemistry in the Fields of Industry, Biotechnology and Environment. Topics in Current Chemistry 375: - Springer-Verlag
    • Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: 1. Pillai, S.D., and J. A. McKelvey. 2016. Molecular methods for the detection and characterization of foodborne and environmental pathogens. DEStech Publications, Inc. Lancaster, PA pp 165.
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Ward, L.R., C.R. Kerth and S.D. Pillai 2017. Nutrient profiles and volatile odorous compounds of raw milk after exposure to electron beam pasteurizing doses. J. Food Sci.


    Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16

    Outputs
    Target Audience:Peer scientists, industry stakeholders, entrepreneurs, government officials, policy makers Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?My laboratory continues to invest considerable amounts of resources in the training of graduate students and scientists. These occur both in traditional classroom settings as well in real-life laboratory settings. Additionally, I provide unsurpassed opportunities to my students for professional development and leadership by facilitating their involvement in national and international meetings such as IAFP, IFT, IMRP, Aggie Research Leadership programs, etc How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Technical meetings, outreach activities to industry stakeholders via face to face meetings. and organizing the 2016 Hands-on Electron Beam Technology Workshop on the Texas A&M University campus What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continue to advance the technology, continue to pursue fundamental and translational researach and continue to engage with industry stakeholders

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? Research Objective # 1. We have submitting research proposals to obtain grant funding to carry out these experiments. Research Objective # 2: We have obtained singifincant amounts of metabolomic data. We are in theprocess of preparing manuscripts Research Objective # 3: We have published paper relevant to this objective. Recentl, have obtained some funding to puruse this objective further Research Objective # 4: Supervised/supervising the thesis of students who are working on these specific topics

    Publications

    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Smith, B., A. Ortega, S. Shayanfar, and S.D. Pillai (2016). Preserving Quality of Fresh Cut Watermelon Cubes for Vending Distribution by Low-Dose Electron Beam Processing. Food Control DOI 10.1016/j.foodcont.2016.02.017
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Shayanfar, S., K. Mena, and S.D. Pillai (2016) Quantifying the Reduction in Potential Infection Risks from Non-O157 Shiga Toxin Producing E.coli in Strawberries by Low Dose Electron Beam Processing. Food Control 72:324-327
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Wang, L., B. Batchelor, S.D. Pillai and V.S.V. Botlaguduru. (2016). Electron beam treatment for potable water reuse: removal of bromate and perfluorooctanoic acid. Chemical Engineering Journal. 302: 58-68
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: 4. Trudeau, M.P., H. Verma, F. Sampedro, P.E. Urriola, G.C. Shurson, J. McKelvey, S.D. Pillai and S.M. Goyal. (2016). Comparison of thermal and non-thermal processing of swine feed and the use of selected feed additives on inactivation of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) PloSOne 11: e0158128
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Zemboua, M.Kaci, S. Bruzard, J-L. Audic, S.Shayanfar and S. D. Pillai. (2016). Electron beam radiation effects on properties and ecotoxicity of PHBV/PLA blends in presence of organo-modified montmorillonite. Polymer Degradation and Stability. 132: 117-126
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Madera-Santana, T.J., R. Melendrez, G. Gonzalez-Garcia, P. Quintana-Owen and S.D. Pillai. (2016). Effect of gamma irradiation on physicochemical properties of commercial poly(lactic acid) clamshell for food packaging. Radiation Physics and Chemistry 123: 6-13
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Rocha, J.N., N.D. Cohen, A.I. Borden, C.N. Brake, S. Giguere, M.C. Coleman, R.C. Alaniz, S.D. Lawhon, W. Mwangi and S.D. Pillai. (2016) Oral administration of electron-beam inactivated Rhodococcus equi failed to protect foals against intrabronchial infection with live, virulent R. equi. PloSOne 11(2):e0148111. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148111
    • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Shayanfar, S. 2016. Molecular responses of non-O157 shiga toxin producing E.coli (STEC) on eBeam treated strawberries
    • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2017 Citation: Ward, L. 2016. Transforming raw milk into safe milk using electron beam processing
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Shayanfar S (2016) Opportunities and challenges of application of eBeam in fresh produce market. International Meeting on Radiation Processing, Nov 7-11, Vancouver
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Shayanfar S, Pillai SD (2016) Metabolomic Analysis of Acid Stress Response in Shiga toxin producing E.coli O26:H11, International Association of Food Protection, July 31-Aug 3, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Shayanfar S (2016) Electron beam technology to ensure safety and quality of fresh produce, Institute of Food Technologists Jul 16-19 , Chicago, IL, USA.
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Bhatia, S. S., S. Shyanfar and S.D. Pillai. 2016. Quantifying the Effects of Acid (pH 3.6) Stress on Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-producing Escherichia coli Strains. International Association of Food Protection, July 31-Aug 3, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: 5. Bhatia S.S, and S. D. Pillai 2016. The National Center for Electron Beam Research at Texas A&M University - an IAEA Collaborating Centre for Electron Beam Technology . The Conference on Application of Accelerators in Research and Industry (CAARI). Oct 30-Nov 4. Ft. Worth. Texas
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Bhatia, S., and S.D. Pillai. 2016. Benchmarking the minimum electron beam (eBeam) dose required to achieve sterility of space foods. International Meeting on Radiation Processing, Nov 7-11, Vancouver, Canada
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Lindsay W, J. Samuel, E.van Schnaik, and S.D. Pillai. 2016. Transforming raw milk into safe milk using electron beam processing. International Association of Food Protection, July 31-Aug 3, Saint Louis, MO, USA
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: McCoy, J.A., and S.D. Pillai 2016. Electron beam processing improves the microbiological safety and retains the sensory qualities of alfalfa sprouts. International Association of Food Protection, July 31-Aug 3, Saint Louis, MO, USA
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: McCoy, J.A., and S.D. Pillai. 2016. Electron beam processing improves the microbiological safety and retains the sensory qualities of alfalfa sprouts. European symposium of the International Association of Food Protection. May 11-13. Athens, Greece
    • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Pillai, S., and S. Shayanfar. 2016. Electron beam technology and other irradiation technology applications in the food industry. In: Applications of Radiation Chemistry in the Fields of Industry, Biotechnology and Environment. Springer-Verlag
    • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Pillai, S.D. Introduction to electron beam food irradiation. Chemical Engineering Progress Magazine. November


    Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15

    Outputs
    Target Audience:The target audience has included the following 1. peer scientists in academia and the food industry 2. commercial fresh produce exporters and importers 3. government and international regulatory authorities 4. scientists in the commercial vaccine and personal care products industry 5. private entrepreneurs and banking professionals Changes/Problems:A signficant amount of effort has been spent on commercialization of eBeam technology. This has obviously resulted in reduced productivity in terms of original research articles, etc What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Five graduate students ( 2 Ph.D. and 3 MS )have been trained on this technology between 2013-2014. All of them are capable of advocating the use of this technology in the food and environmental fields. Five undergraduate students have gained hands-on experience in microbiology laboratory techniques such as cultivation oforganisms, microscopic observations, disinfection studies and eBeam technology Twenty professionals from around the world have been trained in different aspects of eBeam technology such as dosimetry,dose-mapping, irradiation processing and advanced applications of the technology. This training occured during the course of the 2015 Hands-on Electron Beam Technology Workshop that was organized in April 2015 How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results and outcomes have been disseminated to interested parties via the following Books, book chapters, peer-reviewed original resaerch articles, invited and volunteered presentations, workshop, web sites, social media What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?1. Continue to foster the commercial adoption of eBeam technology 2. Organize the 2016 eBeam Technology Workshop 3. Further understand the metabolomic responses of eBeam irradiated cells 4. Seek resources to advance the technology and increased commercialization

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? Objective # 1: Worked closely with the US Department of Energy and the City of Dallas to foster their interest in investing in eBeam technologies for energy and environmental applications. These activities have resulted in the DOE publishing a request for proposals for funding. Similarly, the City of Dallas has requested the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) for funding to support R&D projects that are aligned with the research objective # 1 Objective # 2: We have elucidated the transcriptomic responses of the MAyNC cells after eBeam irradiation. The data and information from these studies will form the basis of research proposals to a variety of different federal agencies Objective # 3: We have elucidated the microbial inactivation of key foodborne pathogen (non O157 STEC E.coli) when present on strawberries and have further understood the value of eBeam processign to extend the shelflife and quality of fresh fruits such as strawberries, tomatoes and grapes Objective # 4: We have empirical data on the value of 2 kGy on the microbiological and quality attributes of raw milk. Similarly, we now have empirical data to confirm that 15 kGy will achieve microbiological sterility of meat products that are value to the NASA Space Food program

    Publications

    • Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Yates MV, Miller RV, Nakatsu CH, Pillai S, D. (Editors) (2015), Manual of Environmental Microbiology, 4th ed. ASM Press, Washington, DC
    • Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Pillai, S.D. and S.Shayanfar (Editors) (2015) Electron Beam Pasteurization and Complementary Food Processing Technologies, Woodhead Publishing, UK pp 326.
    • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Pillai SD and S. Shayanfar (2015). Ch 6. Aseptic packaging of foods and its combination with electron beam processing. In: Electron Beam Pasteurization and Complementary Food Processing Technologies (Eds. S.D Pillai and S. Shayanfar), Woodhead Publishing, UK (DOI: 10.1533/9781782421085.2.83).
    • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Pillai SD, and S. Shayanfar (2015). Chapter 1. Introduction to electron beam pasteurization in food processing. In: Electron Beam Pasteurization and Complementary Food Processing Technologies (Eds. S.D. Pillai, and S. Shayanfar), Woodhead Publishing, UK (DOI: 10.1533/9781782421085.1.3
    • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Shayanfar S, and S.D. Pillai SD 2015. Chapter 16. Future trends in electron beam technology for food processing. In: Electron Beam Pasteurization and Complementary Food Processing Technologies (Eds. S.D. Pillai and S. Shayanfar), Woodhead Publishing, UK (DOI: 10.1533/9781782421085.3.295).
    • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Pillai, S.D. (2014). Harmonisation of technological approaches to achieve quality and safety. Intl. Food Hygiene. 25(6).
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Kaur, J., R. Karthikeyan and S.D. Pillai. 2015. Effectiveness of ultrasound, UV-C and photocatalysis on inactivation kinetics of Aeromonas hydrophila. J. Env. Sci. Health. Part A.50: 1223-1229
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Salvatore, M., A. Marra, D. Duraccio, S. Shayanfar, S.D. Pillai, S. Cimmino and C. Silvestre. 2015. Effect of electron beam irradiation on the properties of polylactic acid/montmorillonite nanocomposites for food packaging applications. Journal of Applied Polymer Science DOI: 10.1002/app.42219
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Sang, W., M. Speakmon, L. Zhou, Y. Wang, C. Lei, S.D. Pillai and K Z-Salzman. 2015. Detrimental effects of electron beam irradiation on the cowpea bruchid Callosobruchus maculatus. Pest Management doi: 10.1002/ps.4053
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Shayanfar, S., C. Harzman and S.D. Pillai (2015) Fruit juice and puree characteristics influence enrichment requirements for real-time PCR detection of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris. International Journal of Food Contamination 2:2: DOI: 10.1186/s40550-015-0008-0
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Hieke, A-S, C. and S.D. Pillai (2015) Attenuation of 10 MeV electron beam energy to achieve low doses does not impact Salmonella spp. Inactivation kinetics. Radiation Physics and Chemistry 110: 38-41
    • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Pillai, S.D. eBeam technology applications at the National Center for Electron Beam Research. Texas Radiation Advisory Council, Austin, Texas December (invited presentation)
    • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Pillai, S.D. Food irradiation version 3.0-moving beyond pathogen inactivation and consumer studies. Tihany Symposium on Radiation Chemistry. Hungary. August (invited presentation)
    • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Pillai, S.D. An overview of radiation technology-related educational programs in US universities. IAEA, Vienna, July (invited presentation)
    • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Pillai, S.D. Electron beam irradiation of municipal wastes. DOE Workshop on Energy and Environmental Applications of Accelerators. Argonne National Laboratory. Chicago, June (invited presentation)
    • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Pillai, S.D.Bacterial quorum sensing as a target for pathogen and biofilm control. Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting. Chicago, June (invited presentation)
    • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Pillai, S.D.Preservation techniques to reduce food loss. In: TAMU COALS Grand Challenges Mini Symposium. Texas A&M University May, (invited presentation)
    • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Pillai, S.D.Just Beam It! PechaKucha 20X20- Bryan. March (invited presentation)
    • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Pillai, S.D.Electron Beam Technology for Substantially Increasing Mexicos Fruit and Vegetable Export. Encounters in the Orchard Conacyt-Michoacan projects Seminar Series. CIDAM, Michoacan, Mexico, January (invited presentation)
    • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2015 Citation: Hieke, A-S, C. 2015. Investigating the inactivation, physiological characteristics and transcriptomic responses of bacteria exposed to ionizing radiation
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: 72. Jesudhasan, P.R., J.L. McReynolds, A.J. Byrd, H.He, K.J. Genovese, R. Droleskey, C.L. Swaggerty, M.H. Kogut, S.Duke, D.J. Nisbet, C. Praveen and S.D. Pillai (2015) Electron beam inactivated vaccine against Salmonella Enteriditis colonization in molting hens. Avian Diseases 59: 165-170.


    Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14

    Outputs
    Target Audience: The target audience has included the following 1. peer scientists in academia and the food industry 2. commercial fresh produce exporters and importers 3. government and international regulatory authorities 4. scientists in the commercial vaccine industry 5. private entrepreneurs and banking professionals Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Five graduate students have been trained on this technology between 2013-2014. All of them are capable of advocating the use of this technology in the food and environmental fields. Three undergraduate students have gained hands-on experience in microbiology laboratory techniques such as cultivation of organisms, microscopic observations, disinfection studies and eBeam technology Twenty professionals from around the world have been trained in different aspects of eBeam technology such as dosimetry, dose-mapping, irradiation processing and advanced applications of the technology How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Website (ebeam.tamu.edu) Social media (Facebook and LinkedIn) (https://www.facebook.com/ebeam.tamu.edu) (https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=4803462&trk=anet_ug_hm) What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? 1. Continue to advance the technology in terms of exploring new applications 2. Further understand the metabolic processes occuring in eBeam irradiated cells to better understand the metabolically active yet Non-culturable state of these cells 3. Seek resources (private, federal and state) to advance the technology and increase commercial use of the technology

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? Research Objective # 1: Highly detailed economic cost analysis for the integration of eBeam technology for municipal wastewater treatment has been accomplished. This enables commercial adoption of the technology Research Objective # 2: The metabolic state of irradiated microbial cells has been understood. This will enable the customization of the eBeam dose for developing microbial preparations with unique properties Research Objective # 3: The material (physical and chemical) characteristics of selected bioplastics when exposed to eBeam proessing conditions suitable for fresh fruits adn vegetables has been completed. This information is of value in the development of packaging materials for fruits and vegetables. Research Objective # 4: The value of eBeam technology for extending the shelf-life of highly perishable fruits such as strawberries, grapes, cherry tomatoes, avocados has been demonstrated

    Publications

    • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Pillai, S.D. (2014) New opportunities for ebeam technologies in one health. In: Radiation processed materials in products from polymers for agricultural applications. Chapter 20. IAEA-TECDOC Series. Vienna, Austria
    • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Pillai, S.D. C.H. Rambo (2014). Water quality assessment; routine techniques for monitoring bacterial and viral contaminants. In: Batt, C.A., Tortorella, M.L (eds). Encyclopedia of Food Microbiology. Vol 3. Elsevier Ltd. Academic Press. Pp 766-772.
    • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Pillai, S.D., C. Blackburn, and C. Bogran, (2014). Applications of ionizing irradiation for phytosanitary treatment and food safety for fresh produce. In: Global safety of fresh produce: A handbook of best-practice examples, innovative commercial solutions and case studies. Edited by J. Hoorfar. Woodhead Publishing, Oxford, UK.
    • Type: Books Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2015 Citation: Yates MV, Miller RV, Nakatsu CH, Pillai S, D. (Executive Editors) (2015), Manual of Environmental Microbiology, 4th ed. ASM Press, Washington, DC. (in preparation)
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Microbial pathogens and surrogate indicator organisms in raw sewage sludge across the United States. WEF Webinar. November
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) as a framework to address contemporary food safety issues. TAMU Nutrition and Food Science Seminar Series. October. College Station, Texas
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Just Beam it! eBeam as a platform technology. TAMU Poultry Science Brown-Bag Seminar Series. September, College Station, Texas
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: A Holistic approach of ensuring public health, animal health, and environmental health using electron beam as a bioprocessing platform. 6th International Forum on Industrial Bioprocesses. Lille, France. September
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Just Beam it! TAMU Environmental Health and Safety Association. College Station, Texas. August.
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Development in radiation treatment of biohazard contaminants. Technical Experts meeting. IAEA. Vienna, Austria. August
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Emerging trends in the use of radiation technologies. Technical experts meeting on Green technologies IAEA, Vienna, Austria. June
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Experience with eBeam treatment of food at Texas A&M University. IAEA Consultants Meeting on machine sources. IAEA, Vienna, Austria .May
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: National Center for Electron Beam Research. Horia Hulubei Nuclear Research Institute, Bucharest, Romania. April
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: What is death in bacterial cells? TAMU Toxicology Seminar Series. February. College, Station, Texas.
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Transformative impacts on one-health using electron beam as a platform technology. TAMU One-Health Program Selection process. College Station, Texas. February
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: 63. Bordin, A.L., S.D. Pillai, C. Brake, K.B. Bagley, J.R. Bourquin, M. Coleman, F.N. Oliviera, W. Mwangi, D.N.McMurray, C.C. Love, M.J.B. Felippe, and N.D. Cohen. (2014) Immunogenicity of an electron beam inactivated Rhodococcus equi vaccine in neonatal foals. PlosOne. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0105367
    • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: 2014 Hands-On Electron Beam Technology Workshop


    Progress 09/16/13 to 09/30/13

    Outputs
    Target Audience: The target audience has included the following 1. peer scientists in academia and the food industry 2. commercial fresh produce exporters and importers 3. government and international regulatory authorities 4. scientists in the commercial vaccine industry 5. private entrepreneurs and banking professionals Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? This project has provided significant educational experience and research training for 1 undergraduate student and 3 graduate students How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? presentations, industrial tours of the eBeam facility, and telephone consultations What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Strengthen and expand all of the above activities

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? This project has already made a significant impact as measured by the creation of a private company (e-Foods, inc) by private entrepreneurs. This company is based in Texas. Another significant accomplishment is that the research performed will enable Texas fresh produce importers to import specific commodities from Mexico and use the eBeam technology to eliminate insects and pests. The efforts at developing standard operating protocols for the electron beam facility has enabled the facility to be certified by the USDA-APHIS to treat specific agricultural commodities for export and import . This is the only such facility (using this technology) in the United States other than a commercial facility in Iowa.

    Publications

    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Pillai, 2013. Bioplastics:sustaining a marine environment
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Pillai, 2013. Accelerating eBeam technology commercialization: a US-Mexico case study. In: IAEA Scientific Forum. Vienna, Austria. September
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Pillai, 2013. Electronic pasteurization and vending machine foods. International Meeting on Radiation Processing (IMRP) Shanghai, China. November
    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Pillai, 2013. The National Center for Electron Beam Research In: presentation made to the Food and Agricultural Division and the Technical Cooperation Division of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria
    • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Pillai, S.D., C. Blackburn and C.Bogran. 2013. Applications of ionizing irradiation for phytosanitary treatment and food safety for fresh produce. In: Global safety of fresh produce: A handbook of best-practice examples, innovative commercial solutions and case studies. Edited by J. Hoorfar. Woodhead Publishing, Oxford, UK.
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Praveen, C., P.R. Jesudhasan, R. Reimers and S.D. Pillai (2013). Electron beam inactivation of selected microbial pathogens and indicator organisms in aerobically and anaerobically digested sewage sludge. Bioresources Technology 144: 652-657
    • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Bordin, A.I., Suchodolski, J.S., Markel, M.E., Weaver, K.B., Steiner, J.M., Dowd, S.E., Pillai, S., and Cohen, N.D. (2013) Effects of administration of live or inactivated virulent Rhodococccus equi and age on the fecal microbiome of neonatal foals. PlosOne 8: e66640