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**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** WHILE FRESH PRODUCE IS WELL-RECOGNIZED AS A MAJOR SOURCE OF ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS FOR HEALTH AND WELLBEING, THE RAPIDLY INCREASED CONSUMPTION IS NOT ACCOMPANIED BY TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES TO MITIGATE THE GROWING BURDEN OF MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION. AS A RESULT, THIS TREND HAS INEVITABLY LED TO A GREATER NUMBER OF ILLNESSES AND DEATHS ASSOCIATED WITH FOODBORNE OUTBREAKS DUE TO CONTAMINATED FRESH PRODUCE. DUE TO HIGH NUTRIENT CONTENT, BACTERIA REMAIN ATTACHED TO THE IRREGULAR SURFACE OF FRESH PRODUCE AND SUBSEQUENTLY PROGRESS TO FORM BIOFILMS COMPRISING OF CONSORTIA OF BACTERIA LODGED IN A 3D EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX, OFFERING PROTECTION AGAINST EXTERNAL STRESSES AND BECOMING RESISTANT TO CLEANING AND DISINFECTION THAN PLANKTONIC CELLS. UNFORTUNATELY, CURRENT MICROBIAL CONTROL STRATEGIES, INCLUDING OZONE, CHLORINE, AND ORGANIC ACID, ARE UNABLE TO EFFICIENTLY ERADICATE HAZARDOUS MICROORGANISMS WITHOUT AFFECTING FOOD QUALITY, NOT TO MENTION THE SIDE EFFECTS FROM DISINFECTION BY-PRODUCTS. IT IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE TO DEVELOP NEW MITIGATION STRATEGY TO EFFICIENTLY AND SAFELY REMOVE MICROBIAL BIOFILM AS PART OF THE POSTHARVEST PRACTICES FOR FRESH PRODUCE. THE RAPID GROWTH OF KNOWLEDGE IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING HAS SPURRED SIGNIFICANT INTEREST IN DEVELOPING NANOTECHNOLOGY-ENABLED APPROACHES TO ENSURE FOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY. FOOD BIOPOLYMERS WITH NATURAL NANOSTRUCTURES ARE PROMISING CANDIDATES FOR THE ENCAPSULATION OF ANTIMICROBIALS. MEANWHILE, PHYTOCHEMICALS SUCH AS ESSENTIAL OILS (EOS) HAVE GAINED INCREASING ATTENTION FOR THEIR POTENT ANTIMICROBIAL EFFECTS AGAINST FOODBORNE PATHOGENIC MICROORGANISMS AND HAVE BEEN WIDELY APPLIED AS NATURAL PRESERVATIVES IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY.THE MAJOR HURDLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NANOMATERIALS IS TO FIND NATURAL AND SAFE FOR FOOD APPLICATIONS. FOOD BIOPOLYMERS (INCLUDING CARBOHYDRATES AND PROTEINS) WITH NATURALLY OCCURRING NANOSTRUCTURES ARE THE IDEAL CANDIDATES AS SUCH. DISCOVERED FROM THE ENDOSPERM OF MUTANT GRAINS, PHYTOGLYCOGEN (PG) IS A NATURALLY OCCURRING STARCH-LIKE CARBOHYDRATE WITH HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT BUT THE NANOSCALE GRANULAR STRUCTURE.DUE TO THE DEFICIENCY OF DEBRANCHING ENZYME DURING BIOSYNTHESIS, THE AVERAGE CHAIN LENGTH IN PG IS 11-12 GLUCOSE UNITS WITH HIGH BRANCHING DENSITY, THUS EXISTING AS A DENDRITIC NANOSTRUCTURE. SUCH UNIQUE STRUCTURE MAKES IT AN IDEAL CARRIER FOR BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS. IN THIS RESEARCH, WE ARE INSPIRED BY NATURAL DENDRITIC NANOSTRUCTURES FROM PGTO DEVELOP NOVEL NANOPARTICLES (NPS) FOR CO-DELIVERY OF SYNERGISTIC PHYTOCHEMICALS AS A HIGHLY EFFICIENT AND SAFE MITIGATION STRATEGY TO CONTROL MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION IN FRESH PRODUCE BY WASHING TREATMENT.EUGENOL AND CINNAMALDEHYDE ARE TWO PHYTOCHEMICALS WELL KNOWN FOR WIDE-SPECTRUM AND SYNERGISTIC ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITIES, BUT THE PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS ARE LIMITED BY THEIR POOR WATER SOLUBILITY. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT EUGENOL AND CINNAMALDEHYDE CAN BE LOADED TO PG-BASED NANOPARTICLES VIA AN EASY AND FACILE TECHNIQUE THAT IS HIGHLY PRACTICAL AND APPLICABLE FOR SCALE-UP PRODUCTION.THE NANOPARTICLES SOLUTION CAN BE APPLIED AS WASHING WATER TO EFFICIENTLY IMPROVE THE MICROBIAL SAFETY OF FRESH PRODUCE. STRAWBERRY, CUCUMBER, LETTUCE, AND CANTALOUPE WILL BE TESTED IN THIS PROJECT UNDER TWO SITUATIONS, INCLUDING PREVENTION OF MICROBIAL GROWTH DURING POSTHARVEST TREATMENT AND ERADICATION OF BACTERIA FROM ALREADY CONTAMINATED PRODUCTS.THE SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY WILL DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTE TO THE U.S. AGRICULTURE BY DEVELOPING ALTERNATIVE DISINFECTANTS AS NOVEL MITIGATION STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE MICROBIAL SAFETY AND QUALITY OF FRESH PRODUCE. PROGRAM AREA PRIORITY, FOOD SAFETY AND DEFENSE, GAINING FUNDAMENTAL AND APPLIED KNOWLEDGE TO DEVELOP AND VALIDATE NOVEL STRATEGIES FOR THE EFFECTIVE CONTROL OF FOODBORNE PATHOGENS, WILL BE ADDRESSED.

$273,000FY2022National Institute of Food and AgricultureUSDA

University Of Connecticut, Storrs CT

Investigators

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**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** WHILE FRESH PRODUCE IS WELL-RECOGNIZED AS A MAJOR SOURCE OF ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS FOR HEALTH AND WELLBEING, THE RAPIDLY INCREASED CONSUMPTION IS NOT ACCOMPANIED BY TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES TO MITIGATE THE GROWING BURDEN OF MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION. AS A RESULT, THIS TREND HAS INEVITABLY LED TO A GREATER NUMBER OF ILLNESSES AND DEATHS ASSOCIATED WITH FOODBORNE OUTBREAKS DUE TO CONTAMINATED FRESH PRODUCE. DUE TO HIGH NUTRIENT CONTENT, BACTERIA REMAIN ATTACHED TO THE IRREGULAR SURFACE OF FRESH PRODUCE AND SUBSEQUENTLY PROGRESS TO FORM BIOFILMS COMPRISING OF CONSORTIA OF BACTERIA LODGED IN A 3D EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX, OFFERING PROTECTION AGAINST EXTERNAL STRESSES AND BECOMING RESISTANT TO CLEANING AND DISINFECTION THAN PLANKTONIC CELLS. UNFORTUNATELY, CURRENT MICROBIAL CONTROL STRATEGIES, INCLUDING OZONE, CHLORINE, AND ORGANIC ACID, ARE UNABLE TO EFFICIENTLY ERADICATE HAZARDOUS MICROORGANISMS WITHOUT AFFECTING FOOD QUALITY, NOT TO MENTION THE SIDE EFFECTS FROM DISINFECTION BY-PRODUCTS. IT IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE TO DEVELOP NEW MITIGATION STRATEGY TO EFFICIENTLY AND SAFELY REMOVE MICROBIAL BIOFILM AS PART OF THE POSTHARVEST PRACTICES FOR FRESH PRODUCE. THE RAPID GROWTH OF KNOWLEDGE IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING HAS SPURRED SIGNIFICANT INTEREST IN DEVELOPING NANOTECHNOLOGY-ENABLED APPROACHES TO ENSURE FOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY. FOOD BIOPOLYMERS WITH NATURAL NANOSTRUCTURES ARE PROMISING CANDIDATES FOR THE ENCAPSULATION OF ANTIMICROBIALS. MEANWHILE, PHYTOCHEMICALS SUCH AS ESSENTIAL OILS (EOS) HAVE GAINED INCREASING ATTENTION FOR THEIR POTENT ANTIMICROBIAL EFFECTS AGAINST FOODBORNE PATHOGENIC MICROORGANISMS AND HAVE BEEN WIDELY APPLIED AS NATURAL PRESERVATIVES IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY.THE MAJOR HURDLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NANOMATERIALS IS TO FIND NATURAL AND SAFE FOR FOOD APPLICATIONS. FOOD BIOPOLYMERS (INCLUDING CARBOHYDRATES AND PROTEINS) WITH NATURALLY OCCURRING NANOSTRUCTURES ARE THE IDEAL CANDIDATES AS SUCH. DISCOVERED FROM THE ENDOSPERM OF MUTANT GRAINS, PHYTOGLYCOGEN (PG) IS A NATURALLY OCCURRING STARCH-LIKE CARBOHYDRATE WITH HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT BUT THE NANOSCALE GRANULAR STRUCTURE.DUE TO THE DEFICIENCY OF DEBRANCHING ENZYME DURING BIOSYNTHESIS, THE AVERAGE CHAIN LENGTH IN PG IS 11-12 GLUCOSE UNITS WITH HIGH BRANCHING DENSITY, THUS EXISTING AS A DENDRITIC NANOSTRUCTURE. SUCH UNIQUE STRUCTURE MAKES IT AN IDEAL CARRIER FOR BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS. IN THIS RESEARCH, WE ARE INSPIRED BY NATURAL DENDRITIC NANOSTRUCTURES FROM PGTO DEVELOP NOVEL NANOPARTICLES (NPS) FOR CO-DELIVERY OF SYNERGISTIC PHYTOCHEMICALS AS A HIGHLY EFFICIENT AND SAFE MITIGATION STRATEGY TO CONTROL MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION IN FRESH PRODUCE BY WASHING TREATMENT.EUGENOL AND CINNAMALDEHYDE ARE TWO PHYTOCHEMICALS WELL KNOWN FOR WIDE-SPECTRUM AND SYNERGISTIC ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITIES, BUT THE PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS ARE LIMITED BY THEIR POOR WATER SOLUBILITY. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT EUGENOL AND CINNAMALDEHYDE CAN BE LOADED TO PG-BASED NANOPARTICLES VIA AN EASY AND FACILE TECHNIQUE THAT IS HIGHLY PRACTICAL AND APPLICABLE FOR SCALE-UP PRODUCTION.THE NANOPARTICLES SOLUTION CAN BE APPLIED AS WASHING WATER TO EFFICIENTLY IMPROVE THE MICROBIAL SAFETY OF FRESH PRODUCE. STRAWBERRY, CUCUMBER, LETTUCE, AND CANTALOUPE WILL BE TESTED IN THIS PROJECT UNDER TWO SITUATIONS, INCLUDING PREVENTION OF MICROBIAL GROWTH DURING POSTHARVEST TREATMENT AND ERADICATION OF BACTERIA FROM ALREADY CONTAMINATED PRODUCTS.THE SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY WILL DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTE TO THE U.S. AGRICULTURE BY DEVELOPING ALTERNATIVE DISINFECTANTS AS NOVEL MITIGATION STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE MICROBIAL SAFETY AND QUALITY OF FRESH PRODUCE. PROGRAM AREA PRIORITY, FOOD SAFETY AND DEFENSE, GAINING FUNDAMENTAL AND APPLIED KNOWLEDGE TO DEVELOP AND VALIDATE NOVEL STRATEGIES FOR THE EFFECTIVE CONTROL OF FOODBORNE PATHOGENS, WILL BE ADDRESSED. · GrantIndex