Reducing pesticide residues on food products with in-pack ozone

"High levels of pesticide residues on fruit and vegetable products remain an area of concern for consumers, especially on food products for children. Soft fruits such as strawberries are susceptible to mould growth during their short shelf life, relying on the application of fungicides to minimise this. However, these fungicides on the fruit need to be below the maximum residue limit (MRL) for the consumer. Products do not always pass this criteria, with high pesticide residues remaining on the fruit. A wash process prior to packing can remove many of these residues; however, as the fruit is wet, this can exacerbate spoilage of the fruit, e.g. moulding. There is a demand to find a solution that is able to reduce the levels of pesticide residues on food products, but without reducing the overall quality/shelf life of the food product.

Anacail has a technology which may be able to provide a solution to this problem, and also enhance the quality of the food product further, by generating ozone within a sealed pack of food immediately after packing in a food factory. Ozone has been shown in the past to be very effective at reducing bacteria, viruses and fungi on a variety of surfaces. Anacail are currently using this technology to improve the quality and safety of food products, including on berries. As well as reducing microbes, ozone has previously been shown to reduce pesticide residues under lab conditions. Therefore, Anacail's technology could potentially generate a method for removing pesticide residues within the pack itself, as well as reducing spoilage microorganisms, giving a pack that is safer to eat in terms of the levels of both pesticides and microbes. The aim of this project is to test the effectiveness of Anacail's in-pack ozone generating technology on pesticide residues, both in artificial inoculated trials on inert and food surfaces and by validation tests on real-life retail packs with high pesticide levels."