Recipient Organization
UNIV OF MINNESOTA
(N/A)
ST PAUL,MN 55108
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Conference grant funding is requested to host international workshop and short course for discussing how nonthermal processing technologies can contribute to the development of circular economy to promote sustainable food processing industry. Participants from academia, equipment providers, food processors and regulators will gather to share their experience and recent achievements and discuss how various nonthermal processing technologies help to conserve natural resources (energy, water, reduce waste), food safety, preserve health promoting properties to meet sustainable development goals. Nonthermal technologies help to extend shelf life, reduce waste, and create value-added products. Additionally, unlike conventional technologies, many nonthermal technologies promote electrification of food processing operations using sustainable energy sources. Workshop and short courses will be organized in the form of themed technical breakout sessions to discuss various opportunities and barriers for sustainable development of nonthermal technologies. Poster sessions serve as a forum for professional development for young graduate students and post-doctoral associates and enable networking opportunities for graduate students to interact with professional members. The overall goal of the workshop and short course is to create a platform for participants to learn about the latest discoveries and developments in nonthermal processing technologies and their applications in the food industry, to identify emerging problems and needs, explore the potential for implementing new technologies specific to food processing, and provide networking and collaboration opportunities. This goal is relevant to the Novel Foods and Innovative Manufacturing Technologies program area priority (A1364). The outcome of the workshop will be disseminated as special issue in leading food engineering and food science journals.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The proposed workshop and short course aim to address the challenges facing the food industry by focusing on the application of sustainable circular economy concepts through innovative nonthermal processing technologies. The workshop and short course will bring participants from academia, equipment providers, food processors and regulators together for sharing research progress and discuss how various nonthermal processing technologies help to conserve natural resources (energy, water, reduce waste), improve food safety, preserve health, and promote practices to meet sustainable development goals. Additionally, the workshop aims to identify emerging problems and needs, explore the potential for implementing new technologies specific to food processing, and provide networking and collaboration opportunities.
Project Methods
The workshop and short course is part of the annual IFT-EFFoST international non-thermal processing workshop that meets in North America, Europe and rest of the world (Australia, South America, China). Nonthermal processing technologies help to address the challenges faced by the global food industry including food safety, depletion of natural resources, climate change, and food waste. The United Nations estimates that one-third of the world's food is lost or wasted every year, resulting in the loss of resources worth around $1 trillion. Therefore, addressing these challenges and moving towards a more sustainable, circular economy approach is crucial.Nonthermal technologies utilize alternate lethal agents such as High pressure, electric field, UV-C light, X ray and Gamma rays, electron Beam technology, ultrasound, ozone to inactivate harmful microorganisms in food with minimal effects on product quality and nutrition. Many nonthermal processes can be powered by electricity, and thus electrification of food processing helps the transition of food industry to green manufacturing practice. Additionally, nonthermal processes may create value-added products and open new market opportunities. A variety of high non-thermal processes are already commercially available in USA, Europe, Australia, India, China. This include deli meat, seafood, fruits and vegetable products, fruit and vegetable juices. Furthermore, there is an increasing interest in using nonthermal processes to recover valuable compounds from agricultural residues and food by-products (for example recovering anthocyanin or lycopene from vegetable or fruits pomace), contributing to the development of the circular economy.The proposed workshop and short course theme on relevance of nonthermal technologies in circular economy is timely and relevant, given the increasing global focus on sustainability and the circular economy concept. The outcomes of the workshop and short course will be disseminated as special issue journal articles in food engineering and food science journals (e.g., Journal of Food Process Engineering). This will contribute to creating a regenerative food system that maximizes the use of resources, minimizes waste, and reduces environmental impact. Therefore, the proposed workshop and short course are essential in addressing the challenges facing the food industry and moving towards a more sustainable future.This proposed workshop is highly relevant to stakeholders in the food industry. It will provide a forum for stakeholders to network and learn about the latest developments in non-thermal processing technologies and their applications in the food industry. The workshop will also identify emerging problems and needs and explore the potential for implementing new technologies specific to food processing, which will be of great interest to stakeholders.The proposed workshop will be held at University of Minnesota (Univ of MN) due to its expertise in non-thermal processing technologies and its excellent facilities for hosting such events. Univ of MN site was chosen after reviewing its proposal by an international joint workshop committee between IFT and EFFoST. Univ of MN has a highly experienced team of researchers in non-thermal processing technologies who have published extensively in the field. The institution has also hosted several successful international workshops and conferences, making it an ideal location for the proposed workshop.An international scientific committee has been set up and convened to discuss the workshop and short course programming and speaker selections. The workshop will have both technical sessions with oral presentations and a poster session. A one-day pre-workshop short course will also be offered. All the events will be held in the same venue (The Graduate Hotel - Minneapolis). The poster sessions will be held in close proximity to the technical sessions, dining areas, and social events to promote a high interaction among participants.The workshop will include the following activities:Invited presentations from experts in the field of non-thermal processing technologies and the circular economy and sustainability. Two days workshop will be consisted of eight themed sessionsAdditionally, two breakout sessions will be held to discuss opportunities and barriers in forging collaborations and implementation of non-thermal technologies concepts with circular economy concepts for sustainable development of food industryGraduate student poster presentations to present their research and findings. Monetary prizes will be awarded to top three poster presentersNetworking opportunities for participants to engage with industry professionals, academia, and government agencies.Pre-workshop short course program will provide basic overview about various non-thermal processing technologies and their current status for graduate students and new industry professionals who may not be familiar about non-thermal processing technologies.Short course format and topics: The short course will be scheduled to have multiple lectures on different topics selected by the Scientific Committee. Each lecture (30 min) will have similar/consistent structure and will be given by one invited expert speaker.