Surface treatments for food processing surfaces to reduce organic residue and microbial accumulation

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Foods such as chia, hemp and flax seeds and their sprouts are rich sources of many essential nutrients including protein, omega-3 and -6 fatty acids, phytochemicals and fiber. However, raw seed contamination by bacteria can lead to serious foodborne outbreaks and product recalls, which can result in lawsuits, negative consumer perception, hospitalizations, severe health effects and economic loss. Food-borne pathogens cause serious problems in the food industry and public health sectors, and Canada has about 4 million cases of food-borne illness reported every year. These outbreaks are often clearly linked to the inability to reliably clean and sterilize the pathogens from the seed processing equipment itself (e.g., washing, mixing and packaging). Such bacteria can dwell on these surfaces by forming biofilms, which densely-packed bacterial colonies. In this proposal we aim to modify the surfaces of stainless steel food industrial equipment to make them non-wetting, slippery, and ultra-low adhesion, by immobilizing a layer of food-grade (FDA approved) oil onto the modified metal surface. First, the stainless steel surface will be modified by chemically attaching alkyl chains using a metal oxide-bound surfactant to make the surface hydrophobic. Second, a thin layer of an FDA-approved oil will be added to adsorb onto the hydrophobic surface by dipping or spraying. We intend to evaluate the surface wettability, durability and repellency to liquid and solid organic materials for these new surfaces, after modification. Then, we will test the antimicrobial impact of the modified surfaces when they are combined with commercial antimicrobial product, such as those by Agri-Neo (our industrial partner). Standard microbiological techniques will be used to measure bacterial viability before and after treatment. We envision that a microscale oil layer may act as a physical barrier to fill in the inherent metal surface roughness, and reduce available sites for bacterial attachment. We believe the self-cleaning properties of these modified surfaces will decrease necessary cleaning cycles, increase final product yields, and improve the efficacy of Agri-Neo disinfectant products. Other Language Version of Summary