Decontamination of sealed, packaged foods using cold-plasma generated ozone

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The aim of this project is to develop factory production-line prototypes for a completely new way of reducing microbial contamination of packaged (tray-packed, bagged or bottled) food sold to the public. Anacail's novel technology can generate ozone, a powerful germicide, inside sealed packages without breaking the seal or damaging the package. This technology is particularly valuable to the food industry where it gives the capability to extend shelf life of packaged foods by significantly reducing the numbers of food-spoilage organisms on the surface of the food. It also has the capability to enhance food safety by reducing harmful pathogens such as Campylobacter and E.coli; this is particularly important for poultry which is responsible for one third of all UK food poisoning, and is subject new strict new targets from the FSA. There are two specific aims of the project: (1) to develop a new, industrially relevant plasma head, capable of working at production line speeds of around 1 pack per second, and (2) to develop a prototype system for treatment of rigid containers.