Plasma disinfection of nuts, seeds & dried fruit

The company proposes to develop an Atmospheric Pressure Non Equilibrium Plasma (APNEP) system to decontaminate & sterilize a range of dried food ingredients, including nuts, grains and dried fruit. The company intends to put in place the technical & engineering capabilities to apply the APNEP system to a range of food processing & manufacturing processes. The innovative use of APNEP to sterilize & decontaminate foodstuffs expects that the inactivation of microorganisms &/or destruction of mycotoxins occurs without the use of dangerous or toxic substances, whilst not adversely affecting organoleptic properties of the food. Microbiological procedures & their interpretation will be developed to assess the effectiveness of the process. Mycotoxin destruction shall be determined using immunoassay techniques. Experimentation will evaluate the effectiveness of the system in destroying microorganisms.