Development of Human-safe Microplasma-based Far UV-C Disinfection Modules for Improving Food Safety

C56-31b-274046Ensuring the safety of fresh produce is an ongoing challenge, with several serious multi-state foodborne illness outbreaks occurring every year. These outbreaks not only have a substantial human cost but also cause economic losses estimated at $15.6 billion annually. While various approaches to decontaminating fresh produce have been proposed, many of them are restricted by human-health and environmental concerns or high energy consumption and cost. Light-based techniques, particularly UV light, have emerged as a promising alternative. While conventional UVC-based germicidal light operating at 254 nm can be harmful to humans, far UVC (222 nm) light has recently been demonstrated to be harmless to humans while still inactivating bacteria and viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. However, no commercially available devices currently use far UVC light for food-decontamination purposes. To address this critical gap, Eden Park Illumination, a leading company in the development of far-UVC microplasma lamps, is partnering with food scientists from the University of Illinois to develop a human-safe, versatile far UVC module that can be used for the decontamination of fresh produce. The Phase I program will focus on designing and developing compact far UV-C modules, which will be stacked and developed in parallel operation to achieve scaled decontamination of fresh produce. In Phase II, a large-scale system will be demonstrated and commercialized with at least 50 parallel operation modules. The development of a human-safe UV germicidal module will be transformative, overcoming existing safety concerns about UVC light. This initiative closely aligns with the US federal government's "Food Safety" research priority, as well as one of the USDA's strategic goals to provide Americans with a safe, nutritious, and secure food supply. Additionally, using far-UVC light for fresh produce sanitation could greatly reduce water and energy consumption, aligning with the US Department of Energy's mission to promote resource conservation.