SBIR Phase I: Delivery systems for the controlled release of bioactive compounds to extend the shelf life of perishable agricultural products

这项小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响是减少新鲜农产品在从农场到消费者的过程中因微生物变质而造成的损失。这些粮食损失每年在全世界造成2000亿美元的直接成本，并增加了粮食生产系统的环境足迹。食品变质还会对环境和人类健康造成额外的潜在损害，因为为了防止损失而增加了合成农药和防腐剂的使用。该项目旨在通过提供安全、有效和对环境负责的粮食作物收获后管理方法，减少粮食腐败及其意想不到的后果。拟议的项目侧重于开发控制释放系统，以提供天然存在的，安全的，抗真菌的精油化合物（EOC）蒸汽，以保护易腐农产品免受腐败。文献中已经报道了几种实验系统，用于控制EO蒸汽的释放，但尚未存在商业化的解决方案。这突出了开发这些EO输送系统所需的重点研究和开发的重要性。在控制释放系统调查的同时，也在开发内部和外部网络的关键测试和建模能力。其中包括各种挥发性定量技术，从光电离检测器（pid）到气相色谱质谱（GC-MS）仪器，试验台以及传输现象的动态和有限元建模。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to reduce the loss of fresh produce due to microbial spoilage during its journey from farm to consumer. These food losses amount to $200 billion per year in direct costs worldwide, as well as an increase the environmental footprint of food production systems. The food spoilage also causes additional potential damage to the environment and human health due to the increased use of synthetic pesticides and preservatives in an effort to prevent loss. This project aims to reduce food spoilage and the unintended consequences by providing safe, effective, and environmentally responsible methods for managing food crops post-harvest.The proposed project focuses on the development of controlled release systems to deliver naturally occurring, safe, anti-fungal essential oil compound (EOC) vapors to protect perishable agricultural produce from spoilage. Several experimental systems have been reported in the literature for the controlled release delivery of the EO vapors but no commercialized solutions yet exist. This highlights the importance of focused research and development needed to develop these EO delivery systems. Concurrently with controlled release systems investigations, crucial testing and modeling capabilities both in house and in an external network are also being developed. These include various volatile quantitation techniques ranging from photoionization detectors (PIDs) to gas chromatography with mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) instruments, test beds, and dynamic and finite element modeling of transport phenomena.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.