MORPHIX TECHNOLOGIES, INC. — Department of Agriculture SBIR Phase II: 8.5

Description

Project Summary/AbstractTitle: Chemical Dose Indicator for Tomatoes and CantaloupePI: Locke EdwardMicrobial contamination of produce leads to foodborne illness and foodspoilage representing a costly and deadly problem for the food industry. There are 9.6million cases of foodborne illness annually in US causing 57462 hospitalizations1451 deaths and an annual economic impact of $15.5 billion.The annual cost ofproduce spoilage losses in the US exceeds $50 billion.This loss is significantly higherin developing countries due to less sophisticated harvesting and processing equipmentand practicesDisinfecting produce with the correct dose of chlorine dioxide (ClO ) gas2 dramatically reduces microbial contamination in produce thereby significantly reducingfoodborne illness and spoilage. There are currently no field-practical tests to confirmthat ClO exposure dose has been sufficient to achieve the needed microbial kill rate on2 produce.This project is focused on the development and demonstration of a chemicaldose indicator (CDI) targeting relevant ClO doses for tomatoes and cantaloupe.2 Tomatoes and cantaloupe were chosen because they are large markets are highlysusceptible to microbial infection and have been approved by EPA and FDA for safeClO treatment.Methodology will be developed for calibrating the target dose2 indication which is different for various produce such that produce-specific prototypeCDIs can be designed and manufactured.Performance capabilities service-life andshelf-life characteristics of prototype CDIs will be assessed utilizing simulated real- world conditions before during and after exposure to ClO2.While targeting tomatoes and cantaloupe initially ClO treatment and CDIs are2 applicable to almost all produce. The CDI would provide a simple visual indication thatproduce has received a high enough ClO dose to kill microbes on the produce. The CDI2 would provide proof of ClO treatment throughout the produce supply chain allowing2retailers and consumers to verify that produce is safe and resistant to spoilage.This technology has the potential to significantly curtail foodborne illness and spoilagelosses of fruits and vegetables incurred throughout the world by ensuring that quality quantityand safety characteristics of produce are held to the highest standard.This effort supports theGlobal Food Security and Hunger NIFA challenge area.1