Electro-cryo technology for food quality and safety.

对健康、营养和安全食品的需求不断增加，以及对传统食品处理方法具有耐受性的新病原微生物的出现，都需要改进和开发新的食品工艺。但是，在理解食品加工过程中的系统行为及其对食品营养素的影响方面存在知识不足。这些知识的可用性将提供对开发新流程至关重要的流程的洞察力。**拟议的研究计划旨在通过推进食品电子技术的科学和工程来填补这一空白，以确保食品安全和提高食品质量。该项目将采用多学科的方法，通过1）研究填补差距在理解的能量，质量和动量传递机制在非热电流体动力（EHD）干燥过程; 2）针对可扩展的电冷冻技术（ECT）系统的设计和建模及其用于食品脱水/加工和食品非热去污的工艺参数的优化的研究（食品安全）; 3）应用新型分子动力学模拟方法研究ECT对蛋白质和碳水化合物等食品成分构象的影响以及微生物膜电穿孔的机理，以提高食品质量和安全性。** 该计划的研究成果包括：（a）描述各种食品加工操作的数学模型，深入了解加工处理对食品生化和物理转化的影响;（B）评估加工对食品营养物质命运和意外微生物污染后果的分子模型;（c）分析、设计和改进新的电冷冻技术，以提高食品质量和安全。* 这项研究计划将使加拿大食品工业能够应对其面临的挑战，以确保食品健康，并最终实现全球竞争力。

Increasing demand for healthy, nutritious and safe food and emergence of new pathogenic microorganisms that are tolerant to conventional food treatment methods have created a need for improved and novel food process development. But there exists a knowledge deficiency in the understanding of food systems behavior during processing and its related impact on food nutrients. Availability of this knowledge will provide insight into processes that are critical for developing new ones.******The proposed research program seeks to fill this gap by advancing the science and engineering of food electro-technologies to ensure food safety and improve quality of food products. The program will adopt a multidisciplinary approach, through 1) Research filling the gap in understanding of the mechanisms of energy, mass and momentum transfer during non-thermal electrohydrodynamic (EHD) drying process; 2) Research targeting the design and modeling of a scalable electro-cryo technology (ECT) system and optimization of its process parameters for food dehydration/processing and non-thermal decontamination of foods (food safety); 3) Application of novel molecular dynamic modeling approach to investigate the effect of ECT on conformation of food constituents such as proteins and carbohydrates and the mechanism of microbial membrane electroporation in order to enhance food quality and safety. ******The research outcomes of this program include: (a) mathematical models describing various food process operation, providing an insight into the impact of processing treatments on food biochemical and physical transformations; (b) molecular models evaluating the consequences of processing on the fate of food nutrients and unintended microbial contamination; (c) analysis, design and improvement of new electro-cryo technology for food quality and safety. ******This research program will allow Canadian food industry to meet the challenges it faces to ensure food wholesomeness and ultimately achieve global competence.**