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The gas works by oxidizing and killing microbes and is non-toxic. Linton and Morgan are currently working on an industrial tunnel system to apply the gas to produce, as well as investigating using the
gas to sterilize processing equipment. "This would be very helpful, as it could speed up the sterilization process," Morgan says.
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Chlorine dioxide gas is used to kill bacteria on fresh produce. |
The largest obstacle remaining is optimizing the system to dispense the appropriate amount of chlorine dioxide. Enough of the gas must be deployed to kill the pathogens, but too much can cause a decrease of quality in the product, such as browning of leafy greens.
"If the product is safe, but nobody will eat it, that's not what we want," Linton says. "We are always thinking in terms of, 'Will this work for industry?' In this case, I believe the answer is 'yes.' I would like to see this technology used regularly by industry a couple of years from now."
A sweet deal
The department's research is transforming; its economic promise derives not only from its practicality, but from its power to challenge common assumptions. For example, bacteria and viruses are typically viewed as enemies rather than potential allies. And sweets, like sugars or sugar-substitutes, are not often thought of as healthy.
But don't tell that to Jonathon Stapley, a Purdue Ph.D. graduate who came up with a new way to make xylitol, a sugar-substitute that helps retard cavities and increases calcium absorption in bones. Stapley developed the process under the tutelage of food science professor James BeMiller. Different from the current process for xylitol-synthesis—which uses harsh chemicals that are both costly and pollutant-producing—Stapley's method uses electricity, making it more cost-effective and virtually waste-free.
Stapley and others founded a start-up company named Dynamic Food Ingredients Corp., or DFI, to put their idea to the test. "DFI obtained an exclusive license for the process, and it is in the process of building a pilot plant to prove that xylitol can be produced economically," BeMiller says.
Xylitol is used in products like sugar-free gum. Although it tastes just as sweet as sugar and remains stable at high baking temperatures, its demand is hampered by current production costs.
Stapley, Li-Fu Chen and Dennis Fry are not the only entrepreneurs who hope to make food better, cheaper and safer. Work within the Department of Food Science has the promise to—quite literally—change the way the world does business. In an ideal world, many things could be different: food safer, produce cleaner, pollution lower and chicken broth tastier. And, of course, you could satisfy your sweet tooth without getting cavities, or drink wine from your own vineyard.
"Work within the Department of Food Science is certainly more than food for thought," Butzke says.
Contact Douglas M. Main at dmain@purdue.edu
Editor's note: Advancing food process manufacturing to benefit the Indiana economy is one of Purdue University's legislative funding requests for the 2007-09 biennium. Other initiatives that encompass Purdue Agriculture programs and research include biofuels, advanced manufacturing in wood products and value-added agriculture.
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