Innovative product sterilization procedure to remove micro-biological hazards

已经发生了几起与茶叶产品有关的产品召回和食源性疾病爆发。令人担忧的主要病原体是沙门氏菌，尽管其他病原体也很重要。考虑到茶叶对水分的敏感性**以及保持感官特性的需要，茶叶的去污是具有挑战性的。在拟议的项目中，我们将与工业**合作伙伴合作，评估和开发一系列基于非水的去污方法。待评估的方法将是**基于强制空气臭氧反应器、高级氧化工艺和射频处理的方法。上述**方法以前曾应用于其他食品(例如苹果、种子)，但不适用于茶叶或茶叶混合物。进一步的去污策略是评估和开发以乙醇提取物为基础的消毒剂。作为茶叶混合过程的一部分，**乙醇调味提取物被添加到翻滚的产品中。尽管目前被用作调味剂，但很可能存在或可能将抗微生物成分引入配方中，从而支持使微生物危害失活。每一种干预措施都将经过验证，以净化接种了模型微生物(细菌、内孢子、霉菌和病毒)的各种成分(鲜花、香料、**草药、坚果和干果)。乙醇提取物将**应用于茶叶混合过程的最后部分，并随着成分/茶叶混合的**感官特征的变化而再次验证微生物灭活。可以预见，开发的干预措施将在**净化更广泛的低水分食品方面发挥作用。

There have been several product recalls and foodborne illness outbreaks linked to tea based products. The main pathogen of**concern is Salmonella although others are also significant. Decontamination of tea is challenging given the moisture sensitivity**coupled with the need to preserve sensory characteristics. In the proposed project we will work in collaboration with the industrial**partner to evaluate and develop a range of non-aqueous based decontamination methods. The approaches to be evaluated will be**those based on forced-air ozone reactor, Advanced Oxidative Process and Radio frequency treatment. The aforementioned**methods have been previously applied to other food commodities (for example, apples, seeds) but not for tea or tea blends. A**further decontamination strategy is to assess and develop ethanol-extract based sanitizers. As part of the tea blending process an**ethanolic-flavoring extract is added to the tumbling product. Although currently applied as a flavoring agent there is a strong**likelihood that antimicrobial constituents are present or could be introduced into the formulation, thereby supporting inactivation of**microbial hazards. Each of the interventions will be validated to decontaminate a diverse range of ingredients (flowers, spices,**herbs, nuts and dried fruit) inoculated with model microbes (bacteria, endospores, molds and viruses). The ethanolic-extracts will**be applied during the terminal part of the tea blending process and again validated for microbial inactivation along with changes on**the sensory profile of the ingredient/tea blend. It can be envisaged that the interventions developed will find utility in**decontaminating a broader range of low-moisture foods.