SBIR Phase I: Edible, water soluble corn zein films for shelf life extension and improved safety of perishable foods

SBIR第一阶段项目的更广泛影响将是显著减少食物浪费。食物浪费是一个极其重要的全球挑战。全世界每年生产的供人类食用的食物中，约有30%要么丢失，要么浪费--足以养活饥饿的人。据估计，食物损失和浪费也占全球温室气体排放总量的8%。通过延长保质期来减少废物的方法不仅无效，而且还加剧了其他全球问题，例如广泛使用塑料包装对环境造成不利影响。拟议的解决方案使用非转基因玉米来创造新的可食用涂层，通过将整个食品的保质期延长一倍来减少食物浪费，并削减新鲜水果和蔬菜，使所有社区能够更多地获得新鲜食品，并改善食物垃圾对环境的影响。拟议的项目将推进使用玉米玉米醇溶蛋白的工艺的翻译，玉米玉米醇溶蛋白被认为是一种不溶于水的蛋白质，因此在食品生产中的功能化成本高得令人望而却步。这阻碍了它在食品涂层中的使用。该项目推进了将商业级玉米醇溶蛋白转化为易溶于水的配方的相对简单的工艺的转化。该项目将开发一种有效的可食用食品涂层，其中包括其他以植物为基础的成分，如脂肪酸和增塑剂，以创建一种蛋白质/脂肪混合薄膜，该薄膜(1)具有良好的气体阻隔和防潮性能，并延长许多供应不足的商品的保质期；(2)可以以合理的成本产生；(3)可以在现有的食品加工设备上单一应用。研发计划将针对各种新鲜产品的涂料，在可能的情况下与竞争对手的涂料进行比较，并在几乎没有选择的情况下提供新的涂料选择。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，认为值得支持。

The broader impact of this SBIR Phase 1 project will be in significant reduction of food waste. Food waste is a critically important global challenge. Approximately 30% of food produced for human consumption around the world is either lost or wasted each year – more than enough to feed the hungry. It is estimated that food loss and waste also contribute 8% of the total global greenhouse gas emissions. The methods used to reduce waste by extending shelf life are not only ineffective, but they also exacerbate other global problems, such as adversely impacting the environment through extensive use of plastic packaging. The proposed solution uses non-GMO corn to create new edible coatings that will reduce food waste by doubling the shelf life of whole and cut fresh fruits and vegetables, enabling greater access to fresh foods for all communities and improving the environmental impact of food waste. The proposed project will advance translation for a process using corn zein, considered a water insoluble protein and therefore prohibitively expensive to functionalize in food production. This has prevented its use in food coatings. This project advances translation of a relatively simple process to convert commercial grade zein to a readily water-soluble formulation. The project will develop an effective edible food coating that incorporates other plant-based ingredients, such as fatty acids and plasticizers, to create a hybrid protein/lipid film that (1) exhibits excellent gas barrier as well as moisture barrier properties and extends the shelf life of many under-served commodities; (2) can be generated at reasonable cost; and (3) can be delivered in a single application on existing food processing equipment. The R&D plan will target coatings for a variety of fresh produce that allows comparison with competitive coatings where possible, and provides new coating options where few options are available.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.