A novel polymer bead enabled ozone washing process to reduce the prevalence of potato soft rot in storage - OZONE-BEAD-WASH

Soft rot, a bacterial infection of potato tubers, leads to large losses for the industry along the storage and supply chain in their efforts to supply high quality potatoes to the consumer. The current washing processes cannot guarantee the removal of the bacteria in some circumstances, and this project aims to develop a more effective cleaning system. The new system combines ozone treatment (an active form of oxygen that is an effective and low residue sanitiser; frequently used in drinking water treatment systems) with a innovative segregation and soft handling system that is designed to minimise damage to the potato skins and to transport ozonised water to the tuber surface where it wipes off soils and sanitises more effectively. This industrially led project combines some of the UK's leading companies in the fields of ozone treatment, polymer development, agricultural engineering and potato packing, with scientific support from the Potato Council's Sutton Bridge research facility. We aim to be able to reduce soft rot by 50%, which could save the UK industry up to £100 million in waste costs.