SBIR Phase I: Novel Biopreservatives to Improve The Shelf Life Of Processed Bread Goods

In this USDA SBIR Phase I proposal we will develop a proof-of-concept natural antifungalbioprotectant that is applicable to bread and other baked goods contributing to reduced food waste(Area 8.5). Baked goods account for 4% of food waste nationally or >$6 billion in economic loss.Current artificial chemical preservatives (e.g. benzoates and sorbates) are increasingly subject toscrutiny by consumers and regulators and may have unintended health consequences particularlyon the gut microbiome. Existing bioprotection solutions do not provide protection to levels requiredby food manufacturers and there is an urgent market need for higher performance naturalalternatives.We propose a high risk innovative approach in which we precisely and intentionally combinesupernatants/fermentates from individual natural microbial cultures (yielding a new ingredientwhich we call a "Superculture"). Existing bioprotectant products are based on individual strainsand work through single mechanisms of actions; this work will identify and utilize proprietarysynergies between a variety of cultures. State of the art bioinformatic and statistical designapproaches will be combined with high throughput screening. The output of this Phase I effort willbe validated Superculture prototypes at the benchtop scale that would motivate a larger effort tooptimize validate and scale a new product with significant commercial impact and societal andenvironmental implications.