PFI:AIR - TT: Green, Biocompatible Enzymatic Disinfectants for Broad-spectrum Inhibition and Removal of Microbial Contamination in Packaged Produce

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This PFI: AIR Technology Translation project focuses on producing custom enzymes designed to break down polysaccharides which form the foundation of common microbial biofilms. The enzymes can be used in an aqueous solution that can be applied to food during cleaning and processing to remove biofilm-forming microbes. The use of a safe and green enzyme-based disinfectant is important because of the rising frequency of food-borne illness and associated outbreaks linked to microbial contamination from pathogens such as E. coli and Salmonella. In addition, these enzymes offer an opportunity to replace harsh chemical cleaning agents with biocompatible, safe and green alternatives.  This project will result in a family of cleaning products formulated for a wide range of uses in cleaning of produce and other packaged foods. The uniqueness of the enzyme-based cleaning products are (1) ability to engineer specificity and target a broad range of microbial biofilms, (2) ability to select enzymes that retain activity under actual cleaning conditions, (3) ability to discriminate between pathogen and non-pathogen microbial biofilms, (4) demonstrated methods for high-yield production and (5) providing a safe, biocompatible alternative to current chemical cleaning agents. Collectively these features provide a new, green and targeted alternative to current industry standard chemical disinfectants such as peracetic acid in this market space.  This project addresses key gaps in knowledge required to translate this technology to the marketplace. Chemical disinfectants and mechanical disruption often have limited efficacy against microbial biofilms, allowing potential pathogens to persist in processing environments despite cleaning and cause foodborne illness. Furthemore, biofilm chemical structure is often complex and heterogeneous due to the presence of multiple microbes present within a biofilm community. This technology addresses both of these gaps by engineering enzymes that can degrade chemically heterogeneous biofilms, and can act synergistically with other cleaning methods or alone to enhance removal of microbial pathogens present during food processing. In particular, the project utilizes some leading industry partners such as Highland Fresh Technologies who will assist in designing and simulating actual process conditions under which application testing can be performed to determine amount per use and method of application. Also, production costs during scale-up will be calculated to identify critical costs associated with the final product. Additionally, post-doctoral fellows and graduate students working on this project will receive technology translation expertise, working to answer critical questions necessary to identify production costs, business plan development as well as direct exposure to key industry partners to design and execute key testing of products.