To increase the shelf-life of food produce, anti-microbial and anti-fungal compounds are applied to battle against the microbes associated with foodborne illnesses and spoilage. It is estimated that an extra added day of shelf-life will help feed an additional ten percent of a population. The purpose of this research project is to enhance the shelf-life of produce by applying a solution made from natural ingredients including organic acids, alcohols and polyols. We have already obtained successful preliminary data with a solution made from one of the organic acids, alcohols and polyols with the successful conclusion that this solution extends the shelf-life of fruits by up to three days for un-refrigerated conditions and five additional days for a refrigerated environment.  Natural compounds, such as lactic acid, citric acid and acetic acid, are especially attractive because these compounds are all natural and have been found safe by the FDA. As such, FDA and USDA have approved some of these organic acids to target fruits and vegetables.  In addition, the anti-bacterial mechanisms of these acids, alcohols and polyols need to be better understood, requiring high-level computer modelling combined with wet bench experiments. If this mechanism can be applied to other natural ingredients, food safety will be greatly impacted from the processing stage to storage. The production of these solutions and using various ratios of its constituents, into environmentally safe anti-microbial and anti-fungal solutions, is used to decrease bacterial and fungi growth and lead to longer produce shelf-life. To achieve this goal, we will combine state-of-the-art computational modeling with experiments on common foodborne pathogens. This research project should have a significant impact on preserving both fruits and vegetables and extending their shelf-life, leading to an increase in both local and global food supplies as well as feed an additional tens-of-millions of people.<br/>

Improvement via computational modeling of anti-microbial compounds for extending produce shelf-life

2019 Spring National Meeting

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