Planning IUCRC at Georgia Institute of Technology: Center for Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies Advancing Food Safety and Security (CAFSS)

美国食品和饮料行业雇佣了146万人，占所有制造业出货量的10%以上。尽管卫生是食品工业最大的生产费用之一，但由于缺乏现代技术和卫生政策的一贯应用，卫生设施不足仍然是美国食品安全和保障的最大威胁之一。CAFSS将努力整合和简化美国从“农场到餐桌”的整个食品供应链，并为美国和全球消费者提供安全（无病原体和过敏原），安全（不间断和完全可追溯的来源），健康和充足的食品供应。CAFSS的目标将集中于解决对国家具有重要意义的两大挑战：1)确保不仅为美国而且为世界其他地区提供稳定和可持续的负担得起的、安全的、营养的食品供应。2)装备和授权美国食品制造商及其配套产业，在美国和世界建立具有高度竞争力的制造工厂。美国食品工业增加了农产品的商业价值，并在农村和城市地区提供了就业机会，CAFSS将通过自动化和新的公私合作伙伴关系提高整体可持续性和盈利能力。拟议的CAFSS将弥合技术差距，这些差距属于食品安全、安全和从“农场到餐桌”整个供应链中所有原材料的可追溯性的总体主题。弥合这些差距需要公共和私营企业之间的多学科合作，以及在以下基础科学和工程平台上的突破性研究和开发：1)自动化，控制和机器人技术；物联网系统和数据集成；2)新型传感器；大数据分析与人工智能；3)新的功能化表面，新材料/涂料4)新的食品灭菌技术。自动化、控制和机器人技术减少了人与食品的接触，大大提高了食品安全。具有数据分析功能的新型传感器使食品公司能够提高食品安全、质量和可追溯性。新型功能化表面提高食品卫生效率，从而减少生产停机时间，能源和水的需求。新型食品灭菌和巴氏杀菌技术在保证食品质量最低的前提下提高了食品安全，满足了消费者对低加工食品的需求。研究项目将在内布拉斯加州和乔治亚州的CAFSS中心设施进行，由此产生的突破将使美国食品制造业在效率、自动化、低成本、可预测性、供应商品的安全性和安全性方面加入其他行业。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 US food and beverage industry employs 1.46 million individuals and is responsible for more than 10% of all manufacturing shipments. Even though sanitation is one of the food industry's biggest production expenses, inadequate sanitation remains one of the greatest threats to America's food safety and security due to the lack of modern technology and consistent application of sanitation policies.CAFSS will strive to integrate and streamline the entire food supply chain in the US from 'Farm to Fork' and supply safe (pathogen and allergen free), secure (uninterrupted and fully traceable sources), wholesome and plentiful supply of food to the US and Global consumers.CAFSS objectives will focus on addressing two grand challenges of national importance:1) Ensuring a stable and sustainable supply of affordable, safe, nutritious food not only for the US but also for the rest of the world.2) Equipping and empowering US food manufacturers and their supporting industries, to establish highly competitive manufacturing plants in the US and the world.The US food industry adds commercial value to agricultural products and provides employment opportunities in both rural and urban areas and CAFSS will enhance the overall sustainability and profitability through automation and new private-public partnerships.The proposed CAFSS will bridge technological gaps, which fall under the general theme of food safety, security and traceability of all raw materials throughout the entire supply chain from 'Farm to Fork'. Bridging these gaps will require multidisciplinary collaborations among public and private enterprises and groundbreaking research and development within the following fundamental science and engineering platforms:1) Automation, control and robotics; IoT systems and data integration; 2) New sensors; big data analytics and artificial intelligence; 3) New functionalized surfaces, new materials / coatings 4) Novel food sterilization technologies. Automation, control, and robotics minimize human contact with food and greatly enhance food safety. Newer sensors with data analytics enable the food companies to improve food safety, quality, and traceability. Novel functionalized surfaces enhance food sanitation efficiency thereby reducing production downtime, and energy and water requirements. Novel food sterilization and pasteurization technologies improve food safety with minimal deterioration in food quality and they meet consumers' demand for minimally processed foods.Research projects will be carried out at CAFSS hub facilities in Nebraska and Georgia and the resulting breakthroughs will allow the US food manufacturing industry to join other industries in terms of efficiency, automation, lower cost, predictability, safety and security of goods supplied.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.