SBIR Phase II: Product development for the controlled release of bioactive compounds to extend the shelf life of perishable agricultural products

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is the strategic minimization of post-harvest decay of fruits and vegetables through the development of safe, effective and affordable shelf-life extension tools using plant-derived natural ingredients. Worldwide agricultural practices produce a surplus of food for human consumption, yet 10% of global, and nearly 12% of the US population is considered food insecure. Much of this surplus food waste after harvest is due to fungal and bacterial decay, depriving crop producers of revenue and individuals of nutritious meals all the while leading to a large waste of energy and unnecessary CO2 emissions. The shelf-life extension products to be developed in this project utilize natural chemicals that plants have evolved over millennia to defend against fungal and bacterial pathogens. This technology has the potential not only to decrease food waste and its associated energy costs, but also to reduce dependence on chemical fungicidal control measures as well. This proposed project will address post-harvest spoilage of fresh fruits and vegetables by developing products that can be used across the fresh produce supply chain to emit a natural and safe bio-active formulation into the air surrounding fresh produce. This formulation works to protect produce from premature rotting due to postharvest diseases, extending shelf life by up to two-fold in some cases. The aim of this project is to enable the mass market adoption of these products by developing several essential improvements to existing prototypes, such as tunable release rates, increased capacities, and a mechanism to trigger the release of the bioactive formulation. To achieve this, materials that can serve as independent and tunable components for each critical product function, such as release rate or capacity, will be investigated. These components will be integrated into prototypes and will undergo rigorous testing prior to being developed into products tailored for specific markets and use cases. At the conclusion of this work a new line of products for the shelf life extension of produce will be ready to undergo pilot testing with potential customers. This will be a crucial milestone towards the mass market adoption of these shelf-life extension products. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.