Project description
Zapping microbes on food during processing and keeping them at bay during storage
As the global population increases and climate change threatens water supply, preserving the food we produce is becoming an ever more pressing challenge. Perhaps the most important cause of food spoilage is the activity of microbes, including bacteria, fungi and yeast. The kinds and numbers of microorganisms present on or in food are dependent on many factors and can vary widely. Similarly, there are many ways to clean and disinfect food surfaces and food contact materials, many of which are chemical or physical in nature. The EU-funded NanoSurf project is developing a novel method that incorporates three different proven ones. Non-contact plasma and/or ultrasound technology will first be applied at the site of food processing, and this will be followed by in situ generation of antimicrobial metallic nanoparticles that will deter microbe growth during storage. The technology also holds great promise for medical applications.
Objective
In the next 50 years, an estimated 10 billion people will require food but microbial spoilage cause more than 50% of all fruits and vegetables to go to waste in the EU alone. Current disinfection techniques do not seem effective to curb food wastage and at this rate, feeding the future world population will impose challenges. Thus, the overall objective of NanoSurf is to develop a procedure for the decontamination and disinfection of food products and food contact materials using a combination of (1) plasma, (2) ultrasound and (3) nanoparticles with antimicrobial properties. All three individual technologies emerge as effective in disinfecting, decontaminating and preserving food from microbial spoilage. However, based to our knowledge, the integration of plasma, ultrasound and nanoparticles into one technology has never been described for decontamination/disinfection applications. A two step-procedure is envisioned with (a) an initial decontamination with plasma and/or ultrasound technology and then (b) under these conditions generate in situ a low concentration of antimicrobial metallic nanoparticles to deter microbial growth during storage conditions. The method will make use of either pure water as solvent or a gaseous phase, thus eliminating the need of environmentally toxic media, such as, alcohol and electroconductive additives. NanoSurf is expected to have numerous advantages over traditional decontamination/disinfection technologies because the synthesis of nanomaterials Nps will be produced in-situ. The advantage of the proposed technological solution is the ease of implementation, the selection of varied technological schemes for plasma-ultrasound treatment as well as the synthesis of nanoscale metal oxide forms by non-toxic doses in various proportions for different processing times. This novel technology, as demonstrated based on the development of novel prototypes, is expected to find immediate application in the food industry and the medical field.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry inorganic compounds
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture horticulture vegetable growing
- natural sciences chemical sciences organic chemistry alcohols
- engineering and technology nanotechnology nano-materials
- natural sciences physical sciences acoustics ultrasound
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
3000 LEUVEN
Belgium
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.