Non-thermal TECHnologies FOR the inactivation of emerging viral, bacterial and protozoan PATHogens on fruit and vegetable products - TECH4PATH

Foodborne diseases have long represented a considerable burden to public health and continue to challenge health systems worldwide. Besides the traditional food borne hazards, safety of the food chain is facing new and unprecedented challenges, for emerging pathogens that have been underdiagnosed and underreported so far. The TECH4PATH project is principally aimed to study, optimize and create basic protocols for the application of 2 non-thermal technologies (cold plasma-CP and High Hydrostatic Pressure-HHP) as strategies for the decontamination of emerging pathogens of fruit and vegetable food products (FVPs). E. coli has been chosen as reference bacterium, while Cronobacter and Arcobacter spp. will be considered as emerging pathogens. Moreover, as emerging safety hazards, the protozoan parasites Giardia intestinalis and Cryptosporidium spp. and the foodborne viruses Norovirus and Hepatitis A (HAV) will also be considered. Beside the decontamination efficacy, effects of the tested technologies will be evaluated on the quality and nutritional aspects of FVPs in order to ensure safe, healthy and highquality products; the overall environmental impact will be also assessed. Information gained by this project will be useful in assessing the potentialities of non-thermal technologies for this purpose, representing a good opportunity for extending their use beside the microbial decontamination and fostering their adoption in the food supply chain. The project TECH4PATH - Non-thermal TECHnologies FOR the inactivation of emerging viral, bacterial and protozoan PATHogens on fruit and vegetable products is founded by MUR - Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca - PRIN Progetti di Ricerca di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale, Bando 2022.