Decontamination of low moisture foods using a proprietary sanitizer in combination with a novel treatment reactor

沙门氏菌引起的食源性疾病爆发的发生率有所增加，与种子、坚果和蔬菜等低水分食品有关。由于低水分食品对水敏感，因此不可能使用传统的干预措施，如消毒剂浸泡或冷凝蒸汽。此外，干燥状态下的沙门氏菌表现出更强的耐热性，因此需要长时间暴露于干热中以支持病原体灭活，从而对感官特征产生负面影响。Agr-Neo Ltd开发了一种潜在的新型非水基消毒剂，用于净化种子，同时对感官特性没有负面影响。消毒剂的作用是消灭病原体，但防止种子立即发芽。除了产品配方外，该干预措施还应用了纳米气溶胶生成系统，确保消毒剂均匀接触产品，有助于均匀覆盖。在 在对种子上的沙门氏菌进行干预后，将评估干预的效力。将沿着质量属性评估对消毒剂配方和操作参数进行优化。如果成功的话，未来的研究将进一步发展这项技术，以净化更广泛的低水分食品，包括坚果，谷物，香料和草药。该项目汇集了最初开发该技术的Agri-Neo和在种子消毒沿着低水分食品的食品安全方面有经验的微生物学家。

There has been an increased incidence of foodborne illness outbreaks implicating Salmonella, linked to low moisture foods such as seeds, tree nuts and confectionary. Because low moisture foods are sensitive to water it is not possible to use traditional interventions such as sanitizer dips or condensing steam. Moreover, Salmonella in the dry state exhibits enhanced resistance to heat thereby requiring extended exposure to dry heat to support pathogen inactivation that negatively affects sensory characteristics. Agr-Neo Ltd have developed a potential new non-aqueous based sanitizer for decontaminating seeds whilst having no negative effects on sensory characteristics. The sanitizer functions to inactivate pathogens but prevents the seed undertaking immediate germination. In addition to product formulation, the intervention also applies a nano-aerosol generating system that ensures an even sanitizer contact to the product that aid homogenous coverage. In the following the efficacy of the intervention to inactivate Salmonella on seeds will be evaluated. The sanitizer formulation and operating parameters will be optimized along with assessment of quality attributes. If successful, future research will further develop the technology to decontaminate a broader range of low moisture foods that will encompass nuts, grains, spices and herbs. The project brings together Agri-Neo who originally developed the technology, and microbiologists with experience in seed disinfection along with food safety of low moisture foods.