Engineered water nanostructures (EWNS) schematicG. PYRGIOTAKIS ET AL.Peppering charged water nanoparticles onto fruits and vegetables can eliminate potentially harmful foodborne microbes, researchers from Harvard and their colleagues reported last month (February 19) in Environmental Science & Technology. The new method offers an alternative to chlorine-based sprays, which can tarnish foods and are banned for organic produce.
“Using nanoscale water droplets to inactivate pathogenic bacteria is an innovative approach, and these early results show its effectiveness and great potential for improving the microbial safety of food supply as well as the sanitation of food processing surfaces,” Hongda Chen, acting deputy director at the US Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, wrote in an e-mail.
Following a harvest, farmers have a handful of options to sterilize produce. The popular choices are chemical spritzes laced with chlorine- or quaternary ammonium compounds, which can eliminate bacteria in seconds. These sprays, however, can leave behind residues that ruin the food’s taste or cause skin irritation for handlers. Some food suppliers opt instead for ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, but that can retard ripening and alter ...
