Disrupting the food safety chain. The decontamination unit that removes more than 99% of pathogenic bacteria during poultry meat slaughtering and processing

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DECONIZER (Disrupting the food safety chain. The decontamination unit that removes more than 99% of pathogenic bacteria during poultry meat slaughtering and processing)

Reporting period: 2019-08-01 to 2019-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Decon SFS have developed Deconizer, a pioneering innovation for the food decontamination industry. Deconizer combines pressurised steam with electromagnetic induced high voltage currents to sterilize dangerous campylobacter in raw poultry, prior to packaging. The objectives of this phase 1 project were to define a technical and commercial roadmap to bring Deconizer from stage 1 prototypes to a market ready solution. Deconizer has been proven to deliver 99.9% bacteria eradication in control laboratory experiments (DE1 prototype), we have then demonstrated TRL6 development through live testing in a working poultry processing facility (Pujante, Spain), with results of over 90% decontamination. Our project objectives were to identify the challenges to be resolved to deliver 99.9% reduction in a scalable market ready product.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

We have assessed key laboratory tests and industry pilots from our partners in NOFIMA labs (Norway) and Pujante poultry (Spain), identifying key technical issues and planning a two year technical development plan to deliver a final Deconizer product with 99.9% campylobacteria reduction.
We have also reviewed the commercial and risk landscape and developed a detailed commercialisation plan to deliver successful Deconizer market entry across Europe and into the global market.
A full FTO analysis has demonstrated no legal obstructions to launch the project and we have evaluated the IPR options and strategy to be executed as part of our route to market.
The project is highly profitable, with an ROI of 3.7 by 2025 for the €2.2M required to bring our innovation to market. Deconizer can deliver revenues of €21M/yr and pre-tax profit of over €5m by 2025

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The final Deconizer DE3 model will deliver 99.9% eradication of campylobacter in processed poultry. Crucially, the process will be unaffected by differing pre-processing techniques (de-feathering, cold storage and washing). It will also prevent any associated skin or flesh damage to the carcass, ensuring high value and high reliability for all customers. This dramatic reduction in campylobacter risk will allow for shelf-life increases of 4-5 days for customers, with minimal additional workload, as the system will be automated as part of the production line.

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