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

加拿大牛奶和乳制品饮料行业正在探索延长乳制品保质期的新方法，同时仍然保持高质量。热加工，利用热能，是最传统的方法，以提供所需的致命微生物的生长。不幸的是，热能也与质量属性的迅速恶化有关。除了热能，光和声音是我们周围另外两种最重要的能源。在最近的过去，特定频率的光（紫外线区）和声音（超声波区）已显示出提供杀微生物的效果。然而，由于缺乏：a)与乳制品影响相关的科学数据，以及b)允许大规模加工的设备设计，这些技术尚未被乳制品行业采用。******我的研究项目的中心主题是研究不同食品加工过程中工艺强度与微生物破坏率和质量参数之间的关系。有了这样的认识，我们将开发出新颖的工艺设计，以生产安全和高质量的乳制品。我们目前的重点是利用光能和声能加工牛奶和乳制品饮料产品。我们的中心假设是，声光能量可以用来生产高质量（感官、功能和营养）的安全食品。我们将测试声光能量的潜在协同作用，并将尝试通过设计用于加工乳制品的新型设备应用其最佳频率。提出的发现补助金（DG）项目要求通过开展旨在了解声光技术在加拿大乳制品和饮料行业中的效用的基础研究来验证这一假设。本工作将通过以下方式实现：1)建立牛奶在不同声光能量频率下的微生物损失v/s质量损失模型。2)表征它们同时应用于乳制品的效果。3)设计牛奶及乳制品饮料大规模巴氏杀菌设备。******所提出的研究计划的新颖性在于确定延长保质期和提高乳制品产品质量的新策略。虽然我们的项目最初将着眼于牛奶和牛奶饮料的加工，但未来几年的工作将演变为其他食品加工行业更好的加工策略。这项研究将通过为乳制品的监管审批和工艺设计提供文献，为声光技术的商业化开辟道路。此外，这个为期5年的DG计划将产生高就业率的hqp，提高加拿大食品工业的安全性和盈利能力。获得的技术将有助于生产更健康的食品，以改善所有加拿大人的福祉。

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 & quality parameters for different food processes. With this understanding, we will develop inspired novel process designs for producing safe and high-quality dairy products. Our current focus lies in harnessing the power of light and sound energy for processing milk and dairy-based beverage products. Our 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 & light energy for milk. 2) Characterizing the effect of their simultaneous application on dairy products. 3) Designing equipment for large-scale pasteurization of milk & dairy beverages.******The 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.