One of the keys to preventing food-borne illness and food waste is making sure that the surfaces at production facilities remain free of contamination between scheduled cleanings.
New surface coatings for food facilities hold promise for food safety Dry Tech Aerogels investigating special new coatings that are more resistant to bacteria, funguses and other microbes than the food contact surfaces that are used now. Available commercially within a few weeks & Manufacturers already work diligently to keep their facilities clean, but we are creating materials that are even less likely to harbour bad bugs. We have designed a new polymer coating that can be applied to food and surfaces processing surfaces and packaging facilities that resist microbial adhesion and can actually inactivate any microbes/funguses that do adhere, preventing them from growing and potentially contaminating our food supply. The coatings are still being tested but may be available commercially within a few months.
Designing durable coatings isn’t an easy task
Designing effective and durable coatings isn’t an easy task. It’s a hard life for the equipment used in food production facilities because the coatings have to hold up to acidic and caustic cleaners, temperature extremes and abrasions from scrubbings. It’s a huge challenge to find coatings that will work under these extreme condition. One new coating works on resisting bacteria in several different ways
Reducing the massive amount of food waste
In addition to being important to food safety, coatings like this can help reduce the massive amount of food that is wasted due to spoilage microbes. There are other areas of the food processing plant that might benefit from this type of coating including door knobs, HVAC vents and drains, which can harbour microorganisms that can make our food spoil faster or potentially make people ill. Another application for these coatings may be to use them on handling and harvest equipment for fruits and vegetables.