Recipient Organization
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIV
(N/A)
RALEIGH,NC 27695
Performing Department
Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences
Non Technical Summary
Processed foods represent a significant source of nutrients in modern human nutrition as well as a significant means of improving the situations of food shortages and nutritional defficiencies. However, processed foods are currently subjected to harsh criticisms from scientific and political activists due to overprocessing, losses of important nutrients and overuse of salt, sugars and other additives.Attempts to minimize the levels of industrial processing of foods for large populations have been to a large extent successful but have also introduced new risks to the industry.These risksinclude higher survival, contamination and re-contamination rates by hazardous microorganisms like Salmonella, Listeria and E. coli, increasing the incidence and severity of food-borne illnesses. Minimal processing in combination with the expanded distribution range of large processing facilities also typically resultsin the increased rates of food loss and waste caused by their limited shelf life and frequent inability to maintain refrigeration level temperatures throughout the product storage, transport and distribution channels. Finally, many of technologies known as non-thermal means of food preservation need to be further developed, including the methods of their safety validation, to achieve levels of long term safety common for the conventional, typically thermal methods of food processing and preservation.Recognizing these needs and respective shortcomings of conventional and emerging technologies has motivated our team to develop new and novel methods of food processing using advanced thermal technologies, particularly continous flow microwave heating, pasteurization and sterilization to produce shelf stable and extended shelf life food products. Additionally, we have developed novel technologies and methods of food process and safety validation for both conventional and advanced processing technologies, enabling commercial introduction of previously unavailable complex and particulate products to consumer markets in the United States and Europe.Five different continuous flow microwave technology configurations, each optimized for a different throughput capacity, but generating identicaly highquality and nutrient preservation levels in processed and preserved food products.Among the commercially installed and operational facilities, thesecapacities range from 1-2 liters per minute for precision processing, to 2-5 gallons per minute for intermediate processinglevels, to 8-10 gallonsper minute and finally to 15-30 gallons per minute, depending on the type of product and the level of thermal treatment required. All of the listed capacities are currently in commercial production in the United States. In combination with different configurations of process monitoring and safety validation instrument and sensor systems also developed by our team, more than 200 new products have been introduced to the institutional and consumer market place.The program of proposed research and development will continue these activities, with significant rate of activities in new developments:1. Development and commercialization of new products using previously developed and operationalized technologies and established processing facilities2. Establishment of new processing facilities using previously developed and commercially proven technologies3. Establishment of new processing facilities using novel, recently developed technologies and their improvements4. Introduction of new products using novel, recently developed technologies5. Expanding the application areas of both established and novel technologies, particularly to microwave-assisted extraction of bioactive and functional ingredients and components from plant materials6. Expanding the implementation of our technologies to new installations in the U.S. and particularly abroad - Europe, Africa, South America7. New developments and improvements in all areas of R&D: new processing technologies, improved validation instrumentation and procedures and new product lines for existing and new installationsOverall, we hope to achieve a broad positive impact in the processed foods domain inthe sense of nutritional quality, reduced cost and improved profitability for farmers and processors, while maintaining the shelf stability (or significantly extended shelf life) of products processed using our novel technologies. Exports and new installations abroad will adress the issues of local food shortages and nutritional defficiencies but will also open new markets for both U.S. processing technology systems and agricultural products made in the U.S. preserved using our advanced preservation technologies.
Animal Health Component
40%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
10%
Applied
40%
Developmental
50%
Goals / Objectives
Major Goals:1. Continued research and development of advanced thermal and microwave processing technologies for foods and biomaterials in the aseptic processing and packaging areas, as well as their commercial implementation. So farmy programhas resulted in over 50 registered inventions, 17 Issued and 7 curerently pending U.S. Patents and over 30 international patents, 7 licensed start-up businesses, 9 food and biomaterials processing installations and over 200 commercial products ranging from industrial processing devices and systems, sensors and detectors tonew and novel food products inNorth America and Europe.2.Continued collaboration with established producers currently using our processing and validation equipment andadvanced technologies to improve the quality and profitability of their operations, expansion of existing and introduction of new product lines and application areas as well as capacity expansion. Initiate collaborations with new users of previously developed and commercialized technologies and introduction of newly established processing installations and product lines.3. Development and commercialization of novel techniques and technologies for advanced processing and safety validation of food and biomaterial products for human and animal consumption. Particular focus on activities involving (in addition to advanced thermal and microwave technologies) additive manufacturing (i.e. 3D printing), IOT (Internet of Things) applicaitons, Microwave-assisted continuous extraction of bioactive ingredients, particularly from plant sources, as well as advanced continuous flow cooling technologies.4. Development and commercialization of new products and ingredients utilizing technologies developed by the program.Main Objectives:1. Development and protection ofintelectual property for establishment of new technologies for nutritionally superior and functional food and biomaterial products. Develop and submit 6-10 invention disclosures, and apply for2 to4 US patents over the period of project performance.2. Initiate and establish 2 new production lines in the U.S.via direct involvement with one or more existing or newly established licensed businesses, particularlythrough microwave thermal processing and/or microwave assisted extraction of bioactive materials and ingredients from plant sources and their subsequent use and complexation with other materials and products. 3. Initiate and establish2-5 new processing installations in collaboration with other companies in the US and abroad, primary implementing established technologiesbased on the innovations generatedthrough ourR&D activities.4. Develop and commercialize 20-50novel food and biomaterial products introduced to the US and/or international markets through implementation of technologies developed by the program.5. Educate and train students, collaborating scientists and industry researchers in the implementation, use and operation of developed technologies and processing and validation systems.
Project Methods
Methods:Development, optimizationand implementation of:- Advanced thermal processing technologies, particularly continous flow microwave heating, pasteurization and sterilization of pumpable foods and biomaterials- Utilization of novel and recently developed processing systems based of recently developed devices, systems and methods by the R&D team such as cylindirical microwave applicators, travelling wave microwave heating systems, modular microwave systems, mobile small capacity and precision processing systems- Development and implementation of new methods and applications for induction based heating technologies, under both continuous flow and batch mode environments- Development and implementation of novel methods of cooling acceleration under continous flow conditions, following pasteurization or sterilization steps in production- Development and applications of new methods and technologies of microwave and mechanically assisted extraction of bioactive nutrients and functional ingredients from plant sources for use in production offood and biomaterial products- Implementation and expansion of application range of previously and newly developed novel methods for product and process safety validation for advanced processing systemsfor foods and biomaterialsEvaluation:Successful implementation of the efforts outlined above will be evaluated by:1. Comparison of nutrient retention and quality attribute retention versus conventional methods of processing if available2. Determination of achieved safety levels by microbial inoculation and incubation studies3. Consumer sensoryperception and preference test trialsfor developed products and comparisons versus existing products processed using conventional methodologies