Novel Method for Produce Preservation and Sterilization in Modern Refrigerators

Food wastage is a massive environmental problem, resulting in losses of over $240 Billion in the United States and $2.6 Trillion around the world. A large portion of this waste happens in the home. This wastage not only results in significant monetary losses, but also wastes tremendous amounts of nonrenewable resources to produce food that is never eaten. The USDA has proven that low oxygen storage environments will increase the shelf life of produce. The novel GreenLifeTechâ„¢ system allows for the development of a low cost, controlled storage environment for fruits and vegetables. The technique recirculates oxygen until very little (<0.5%) remains, resulting in shelf life increases of up to 500%. Our technique is ideal for a system that can be cycled regularly and which allows for a rigid, airtight container. Through a project conducted with the Appalachian State Department of Applied Design, it was identified that an excellent candidate for integration with our technology is household refrigeration. Refrigerator design has changed remarkably little in the past 100 years. It has long been known that refrigeration will slow the decay of food. As our technology is primarily focused on the preservation of fresh fruits and vegetables, this proposal will examine the ripening and decay process of produce in a crisper drawer that has been fitted with our technology. However, we believe that our technology will also increase the shelf life of other commonly refrigerated items (leftovers, meat, etc). Additionally, a second patent pending technique introduces gaseous ozone (in extremely low concentrations) to the low oxygen environment. Ozone has been proven to eliminate bacteria and parasites, while also inactivating viruses which may be present on fresh foods. This results in increased consumer safety, as approximately 1 in 6 Americans will fall ill due to foodborne pathogens each year. Furthermore, reducing outbreaks of these pathogens will result in fewer recalls of fresh produce. Working in parallel, we hope to integrate these techniques to extend the shelf life of delicious, healthy foods while also helping to ensure consumer safety. The research proposed in this project will be focused on validating these techniques for integration into household refrigeration units. A benchtop level prototype will be developed that allows the user to adjust oxygen and ozone levels inside an existing refrigerator crisper drawer. GreenLifeTechâ„¢ has partnered with the world renowned researchers at the Purdue University Food Entrepreneurship and Manufacturing Institute for laboratory testing.