Researchers create coating solution for safer food storage

In a collaborative effort to improve the food industry, Dr. Mustafa Akbulut, professor of chemical engineering, and Dr. Luis Cisneros-Zevallos, professor of horticultural sciences, developed a two-step coating solution for galvanized steel that is more hygienic and reduces the risk of corrosion.

Galvanized steel containers and surfaces are used for harvested produce due to their durability, strength and lower cost than stainless steel. However, bacteria residing in storage containers can cause corrosion.

The new coating will reduce corrosion by at least 70 percent, Akbulut said.

“This material is more durable and does not undergo corrosion,” Akbulut said. “The surface itself can repel bacteria to prevent germs from sticking to it. Normal steel tends to collect pathogens and microorganisms, but coated steel solves this problem. This are the main advantages of this technology.”

The galvanized steel coating method exhibits superhydrophobic and antifouling capabilities, effectively inhibiting the attachment of fungi, bacteria and mud. This research was published in the Journal of Food Engineering.

“It will have an impact because people who eat fruits and vegetables are sure that they are buying something safe, and it will not affect their health,” Cisneros-Zevallos said. “Right now, the industry is doing its best to reduce these risks, but you will hear about outbreaks of contamination and people getting sick. Deaths are sometimes reported from these events.”

During the coating process, the material properties, structural properties and mechanical strength of the steel do not change. Only the top layer of the steel is covered, because that’s where food comes into contact with the surface, Akbulut explained.

Research shows this coating decreases bacterial strains over seven days and reduces adherence to Aspergillus, a foodborne fungus.

This coating technology can potentially be used on grain storage silos, as well as other food storage units and containers, according to the article. This is a significant boon to the multidisciplinary fields of engineering, safety and food processing.

Galvanized steel cladding will also benefit agricultural land, according to Akbulut.

“A lot of food products come into the industrial environment in some sort of dirt, debris or mud,” Akbulut said. “So even if the products are washed, these products can cause contamination. With this technology, we reduce contamination related to sludge.”

With the information gathered through the research, Cisneros-Zevallos said they could eventually adapt and use these technologies to revolutionize fewer outbreaks and positively impact the food industry.

“Our goal is to get the industry to adopt this,” Cisneros-Zevallos said. “Processors will benefit in the sense that they will be processing something that they can confidently deliver to consumers, and consumers will benefit because they will have something that will be safe for them.”

From field to consumer, contamination can be minimized by using these types of surfaces and avoiding cross-contamination, as Cisneros-Zevallos explains.

“Through this research, we ensure that technological developments in other areas are continued and implemented in agriculture,” Cisneros-Zevallos said. “The agricultural field is catching up with other technologies. This coating has a direct impact on our daily lives and on the food we are trying to make safer.”

Research contributors include doctoral students Wentao Zhou, Shuhao Liu, and William DeFlorio from the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, as well as Professor Jun Kyun Oh and doctoral students Sang Ha Song and Hayoung Choi from the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering from Dankook. University.