Nano-bombs!!!!

Nano-bombs!!!!!

Bacteria and fungi (yeasts and molds) are the principal types of microorganisms that cause food spoilage and food-borne illnesses. Foods may be contaminated by microorganisms at any time during harvest, storage, processing, distribution, handling, or preparation.

food preservation, any of a number of methods by which food is kept from spoilage after harvest or slaughter. Such practices date to prehistoric times. Among the oldest methods of preservation are drying, refrigeration, and fermentation. Modern methods include canning, pasteurization, freezing, irradiation, and the addition of chemicals.“Consumers want more chemical-free, biofriendly approaches for their food. 

Now a recent research suggest a new clean technology of food preservation. Researchers from Harvard and their colleagues have  engineered water nano structures to wipe out pathogens that can spoil food and pose health risks. The new method offers an alternative to chlorine-based sprays, which can tarnish foods and are banned for organic produce.

Researchers devised a device for turning water vapor into nano particles that tear bacteria apart. The gadget sports a gold-plated electrode, which is cooled to condense water on its micro-sized tip. A second concentric electrode hovers 5 millimeters below. When activated, electric charges build in the water, drawing liquid toward the circular electrode. Surface tension, however, grips the droplets to the gold tip, until the strain becomes too much, and an aerosolized mist of water nano particles spews forth. During the process, some water reacts with air molecules to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS).

The method used for preparing nano particle from water was reconstruction of water molecule by encapsulating ions. Here the charged coatings of bacteria, and that subsequent exposure to ROS shatter the microbes membranes.

Peppering charged water nano particles onto fruits and vegetables can eliminate potentially harmful food borne microbes.“Using nano scale 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,”

For this latest study, the team placed cherry tomatoes and stainless steel cutting boards inside a chamber, exposing both to three typical foodborne bacteria—Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, and Listeria innocua­. The team then filled the boxes with their nano bombs, and in each scenario, disinfected the fruits and steel surfaces.

with love
-dixy