Over the course of their journey from the open fields to the produce displays at grocery stores, fresh vegetables and fruits can sometimes become contaminated by microorganisms. These items can then spoil other produce, spreading the contamination further and increasing the number of food items that can cause illnesses.
To prevent cross-contamination between fresh produce, researchers at Texas A&M University have created a coating that can be applied to food-contact surfaces like conveyor belts, rollers and collection buckets. In addition to being germicidal, the researchers have designed their coating to be extremely water-repellent. The researchers said without water, bacteria can’t stick or multiply on surfaces, thereby drastically curbing contamination from one piece of produce to another.
“Consuming contaminated raw foods causes hundreds of people to get sick annually, and so food contamination is not only a huge health concern but is also a significant economic burden,” said Mustafa Akbulut, associate professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering. “In our study, we show that our new dual-function coating — one that can both repel and kill bacteria — can greatly mitigate bacterial spread, averting cross-contamination.”
The results of the study are in the February issue of the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
