DEMAND FOR MINIMALLY PROCESSED, CLEAN LABEL BEVERAGES IS ON THE RISE. FOOD INDUSTRY ATTRIBUTES THIS PHENOMENON TO CONSUMERS DESIRE FOR PRODUCTS WITH HEALTH PROMOTING NUTRIENTS AND BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS INTACT WITH NO OR MINIMAL USE OF SYNTHETIC INGREDIENTS. WE HAVE ASSEMBLED A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY TEAM OF SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS FROM ACADEMIA, FOOD PROCESSORS, AND AN EQUIPMENT VENDOR TO DEVELOP AND FACILITATE INDUSTRIAL ADAPTATION OF A CONTINUOUS ULTRA-SHEAR TECHNOLOGY (UST) WITH REDUCED THERMAL IMPACT FOR PRESERVING A VARIETY OF LOW-ACID LIQUID FOODS.DURING UST, A PRESSURIZED FLUID IS ALLOWED TO EXIT CONFINEMENT BY PASSAGE THROUGH A THROTTLING VALVE INTO AN AREA OF LOWER PRESSURE; THE FLUID'S COMPRESSION ENERGY CONVERTS TO SHEAR ENERGY AND THEN TO THERMAL ENERGY. THIS POTENTIALLY ENABLE THE NONTHERMAL AND THERMAL DESTRUCTION OF PATHOGENS, SPOILAGE ORGANISMS AND BACTERIAL SPORES, WHILE PRESERVING NUTRITIONAL ATTRIBUTES OF FLUID FOODS BY MINIMIZING HEAT EFFECTS WHILE MAXIMIZING PARTICLE SIZE REDUCTION. IN ADDITION, UST TECHNOLOGY HAS EXCITING POTENTIAL USES IN NANO-EMULSION FORMATION, MOLECULAR STRUCTURAL MODIFICATION (FOR EXAMPLE PRESSURE INDUCED PROTEIN STRUCTURE MODIFICATION), VISCOSITY ENHANCEMENT AND SENSORY FORMULATES. BY REDUCING THERMAL EXPOSURE THROUGH COMBINED APPLICATION OF ELEVATED PRESSURE, SHEAR, AND CONTROLLED TIME /TEMPERATURES, UST CAN FACILITATE THE INTRODUCTION OF VARIETY OF CONSUMER DESIRED HEALTHY BEVERAGES, JUICES, SAUCES THAT SERVE AS DELIVERY VEHICLE FOR HEALTH PROMOTING COMPOUNDS. THE TECHNOLOGY IS EXPECTED TO HELP ADDRESS CONSUMER DEMAND FOR HEALTHIER BEVERAGE OPTIONS. AN INDUSTRIAL ADVISORY BOARD CONSISTING OF FOOD PROCESSORS, REGULATORS, AND EQUIPMENT VENDOR WILL GUIDE THE RESEARCHERS ON INDUSTRIAL RELEVANCE OF PROPOSED SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND OUTREACH EFFORTS. THE RESEARCH TASKS, TO BE CONDUCTED UNDER AFRI FOOD MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES (A1363) FOUNDATIONAL PROGRAM INCLUDES THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF LABORATORY AND PILOT SCALE EQUIPMENT PROTOTYPE, CONDUCT RESEARCH TO EVALUATE TECHNOLOGY INFLUENCE ON FOOD SAFETY, QUALITY AND SENSORIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PROCESSED BEVERAGES, EVALUATE INDUSTRIAL RELEVANCE, AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF RELEVANT REGULATORY SCIENCE.THE INFLUENCE OF VARIOUS UST PROCESS PARAMETERS INCLUDING PRESSURES, TEMPERATURES, DWELL TIMES, AND SHEAR INTENSITY ON SPORE INACTIVATION SUSPENDED IN LOW-ACID FOOD MATRICES WILL BE STUDIED. A PILOT SCALE UST EQUIPMENT WILL BE CONSTRUCTED FOR THE EVALUATION OF FOOD QUALITY, NUTRITIONAL AND SENSORIAL BENEFITS OF SELECTED LOW-ACID LIQUID FOODS USING INDUSTRIALLY RELEVANT CONDITIONS. KNOWLEDGE GAINED FROM THIS PROJECT WILL BE DISSEMINATED AMONG FOOD INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS VIA WEBINARS, SHORT COURSES AND WORKSHOPS AS WELL AS HANDS-ON BOOT CAMPS. EDUCATIONAL MODULES ON PROCESS ENGINEERING, FOOD SAFETY, QUALITY AND NUTRITIONAL ASPECTS OF UST WILL BE DEVELOPED. IN SUMMARY, THE UNDERPINNING SCIENCE AND PROTOTYPE EQUIPMENT DEVELOPED DURING THIS PROJECT WOULD HELP THE EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS, FOOD PROCESSORS AND REGULATORS TO EVALUATE UST TECHNOLOGY AND FACILITATE ITS INDUSTRIAL IMPLEMENTATION.