10019037Feasibility study: demand for hypochlorous acid for produce decontamination and reduction of microbial spoilage in South American countriesClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKFresh fruit and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet and demand is high. Produce is grown, traded and transported on a global scale and consumers demand availability of a wide range of fresh products throughout the year. The impacts of this demand, particularly in developing countries, on land usage, water, growing methods, harvesting, processing, packaging and transport are enormous. Around half (1.3 billion tonnes) of fruit and vegetables produced globally for human consumption is spoiled or wasted representing a significant loss of the resources spent producing, processing and transporting that food and a threat to food security (FAO, 2011). Our innovative disinfectant is effective against pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms and its use in the post-harvest/processing areas of the food supply chain can reduce cross-contamination / wastage and extend shelf life. Our existing water recycling / produce decontamination installations in East Africa have reduced water and electricity usage (by 80 and 90% respectively), reduced chemical usage (and the need for plastic drums to store it) and improved throughput efficiency (by turning a batch process into a continuous flow process). Our disinfectant is much less harsh than traditional produce decontamination chemicals which is a big positive for workers in the packhouse environment. South America produced 115 million tonnes of fruit and vegetables in 2019 (FAO, 2021). ASL would like to explore the South American fresh produce sector and target suitable businesses with the aim of setting up mutually beneficial collaborative research projects and on-going commercial relationships. The project aims are to research the South American fresh produce market and production challenges, identify a range of companies in 3-4 South American countries, prepare marketing materials and arrange web based meetings to disseminate our technology and discuss potential benefits. The final stage of this project would be to visit interested companies in order to see their facilities, plan collaborative field trials and ultimately implement commercial systems capable of reducing food waste, improving resource utilisation, decreasing chemical usage, improving efficiency, increasing productivity and reducing the risk of pathogenic organisms/disinfection by-products entering the food chain.