INTELLIGENT OPTICAL SYSTEMS, INC. — Department of Agriculture SBIR Phase I: 8.13

Description

As the production of fruits and vegetables increases with the fast growth of consumption in general, post-harvest spoilage is a growing issue for the agricultural industry and for the cost to consumers. A large percentage of all fruits and vegetables produced is lost due to spoilage, making development of new methods and technologies for preservation more important than ever. The proposed smart UV exposure system lays the foundation for the development of a new class of tools and technologies for increasing the shelf life of fruits and vegetables. This technology exploits the well-known germicidal properties of deep ultra violet (UV) radiation, already widely used for water disinfection, to destroy pathogens on the surface of fruits and vegetables and thereby significantly increase their shelf life. An increase in the shelf life of perishable fruits will expand consumer access to fresh produce by reducing product losses during storage and distribution due to microbial spoilage. Reducing the concentration of pathogens on the surface of agricultural products may also reduce the level of refrigeration needed for preservation and thus energy consumption, reducing the greenhouse gas emission and carbon footprint of storage facilities. Moreover, successful employment of deep UV light emitting diodes (LEDs) instead of mercury lamps will not only improve the energy efficiency of storage facilities, but will also eliminate the environmental hazards associated with producing and disposing of mercury lamps.