Performing Department
Nutrition Dietetics & Food Sci
Non Technical Summary
The increasing demand forhigh-quality foods to meet the needs of the growing world's population requires the development of more efficient and sustainable techniques of food processing and preservation. The concept of Hurdle Technology in food processing and preservation involves the application of different processes or agents (such as heat orhigh intensity light) at low doses or short periods of time, in combination or sequentially. This may result in a final product with satisfactory levels of quality (nutrients, and acceptable flavor and appearance) and which at the same time is safe for consumption (due to the reduction or elimination by the hurdles of the microorganisms that may causespoilage or disease). Foods need to be packaged for their preservation, storage, commercialization and transportation, and the materials used for their packaging are frequently nonbiodegradable, which translates into environmetal damageand a potential threat to human health. The use of antimicrobial and biodegradablepackaging is an attractive concept that due to some technical limitations has not been widely used in commercially available food products. In this project, we will develop biodegradable materials with antimicrobial properties that will be enhanced upon exposure to Ultraviolet light in the A spectrum (UV-A, long wavelength, which is able to penetrate deeper into materials). Thesematerials will be able to reduce the microbial population of liquid and solid foods in contact with them when exposed to UV-A light.We anticipate that this approach combined with the short application of other hurdles such as mild heat, UV-C light (shorter wavelenght and shorter penetration, but more antimicrobial power than UV-C), and cold storage will result in final products safe for consumption, with high quality attributes, and which production process is sustainable and friendly with the environment.
Animal Health Component
60%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
0%
Applied
60%
Developmental
40%
Goals / Objectives
There is an increasing need for minimally processed foods and more sustainable means of food processing, preservation, and storage. Hurdle technology is a concept for food preservation that involves the application of multiple preservation techniques, either simultaneously or sequentially, to a food product to achieve an acceptable level of microbial inactivation. By applying multiple preservation techniques at low intensities, microbial reduction can be accomplished while preserving quality and nutritional attributes, with the possible added benefit of a lower overall energy consumption.The use of ultraviolet light (UV) in the C spectrum (UV-C, 200 - 280 nm) in food processing is a preservation technique approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that has been widely applied to inactivate microorganisms in food matrices and surfaces. UV-C light offers multiple advantages, such as low energy consumption and low maintenance and installation costs.However, a disadvantage of this preservation method is its low penetration depth, which limits its effectiveness to the exposed surface of solid and liquid foods. Despite its potential in addressing clean label demands and its higher penetration, UV-A light (315- 400nm) has not been adopted for hurdle technology applications due to its lower antimicrobial power as compared to UV-C light. However, our research shows that at the right intensity, UV-A light can effectively inactivate microorganisms in liquid and solid foods.Another food preservation technology with demonstrated effectiveness at the proof-of-concept level but rarely found in commercial applications is antimicrobial packaging.However, based on our recent work, UV-A light-activated antimicrobial materials can be part of a promising hurdle technique which also promotes sustainability through the use of biodegradable materials. In 2018, the worldwide generation of plastic waste was estimated to be 360 million tons. This has a serious negative impact in the human population and the planet. Once in the environment, plastics disintegrate into macro and microplastics that contaminate food chains and release toxins that affect ecosystems and human health. For these reasons, it is imperative that more sustainable food processing techniques and packaging materials be developed and optimized.A new approach is needed to harness the potential of UV-A light and antimicrobial packaging.The work proposed here will develop and optimize UV-A light activated antimicrobial and biodegradable materials that will provide an effective and sustainable hurdle technology for food preservation. This concept directly aligns with the USDA-AFRI A1364 priority area, by creating more sustainable, resilient and healthy food production processes and supply. To accomplish the goals of this research, the following objectives will be executed in this seed grant project:1. Develop and optimize UV-A light activated biodegradable packaging materials:We will first optimize protocols for the preparation of UV-A light-activated antimicrobial biodegradable packaging materials. Different biodegradable plastics will be modified to obtain materials with a wide range of mechanical and barrier properties that can be used in the storage of different types of liquid and solid foods. We will also employ surface modification and reactive extrusion in this work because these techniques should also produce materials with a range of mechanical and barrier properties. The materials developed in this objective that exhibit high stability and antimicrobial effectiveness will be used in Objective 2.2. Demonstrate the antimicrobial efficacy of the UV-A light activated antimicrobial biodegradable packaging materials in combination with other hurdle technologies:Materials found in Objective 1 to be rigid and resembling polymers suitable for liquids (such as PET) will be used for model liquid foods (apple juice and milk). Materials created in Objective 1 that are more flexible will be used to vacuum-pack solid foods. We anticipate that the blends of PBAT and PLA prepared via reactive extrusion will be more suitable for solid foods.
Project Methods
Objective 1: Polymer modification, reactive extrusion, UV irradiation, thermal processing, infrared spectroscopy, UV-Visible spectroscopy, mechanical properties and gas permeability testing.Objective 2: Thermal processing, UV irradiation, low-temperature preservation.