Evaluation of novel food processing methods for ensuring food quality and safety in the Milk and Dairy-Beverage Industries

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The Canadian milk and dairy-beverage industries are exploring new approaches for extending shelf-life of dairy products, while still retaining high quality. Thermal processing, utilizing heat energy, is the most conventional approach to impart required lethality to microbial growth. Unfortunately, heat energy is also associated with rapid deterioration of quality attributes. Apart from heat energy, light and sound are the two other most prominent sources of energy around us. In recent past, particular frequencies of light (ultraviolet region) and sound (ultrasonic region) have shown to offer microbicidal effects. However, these technologies have yet not been adopted by the dairy industry due to lack of: a) scientific-data related to effect on dairy products, and b) equipment-design allowing large-scale processing. The central theme of my research program is to study the relationship between process intensity and rate of destruction of microorganisms ">central hypothesis is that sound and light energy can be utilized to produce safe food with high quality (organoleptic, functional and nutritional). We will test the potential synergism of sound and light energies, and shall attempt to apply their optimal frequencies through a novel equipment designed for processing dairy products. The proposed Discovery Grant (DG) program requests funds to validate this hypothesis by conducting fundamental research aimed at understanding the utility of sound and light technologies in the Canadian dairy and beverage industry. This work will be realized by: 1) Modeling of microbial loss v/s quality loss for different frequencies of sound ">novelty of the proposed research program lies in identifying novel strategies for extending shelf-life and enhancing product quality of dairy products. While our program will initially look into processing milk and milk-based beverages, future work in years ahead would evolve into better processing strategies for other food processing industries. This research shall open avenues for commercialization of sound- and light-based technologies by providing literature for regulatory approval and process design for dairy products. In addition, this 5-year DG program will yield highly employable HQPs, increased safety and profitability for the Canadian food industry. Acquired knowhow will allow production of healthier foods for improving the well-being of all Canadians.