This project includes research and extension components with a focus on developing a non-thermal pasteurization technology for powdered food industries. There are many powdered foods manufacturers around the Twin Cities area, who are the primary stakeholders of the proposed project. Therefore we feel very strongly that the collaborations among investigators and between university researchers and industry partners will be effective and productive.
Four activities are planned for the research and development component and one activity for extension. However, extension activity is fully integrated into the research and development activities through bidirectional communication and interactions. The first activity is intended to set up an experimental IPL apparatus to be used for the second and third research activities. The second research activity is the core of the project, which is to investigate the germicidal performance of IPL operated under different conditions. The third research activity is designed to evaluate the influence of IPL processing on key chemical and physical properties which may affect the nutritional and quality. Sensory evaluation techniques will also be employed to evaluate the acceptance of the processed products and provide information that helps minimize the adverse impacts of the process on product quality. In the fourth research activity, we will optimize the process for specific products and develop and fabricate a prototype IPL system which is capable of providing the conditions suitable for processing of a wide range of powdered food products. The sub-activities for the extension component will be planned for throughout the project. The objective of our extension activities is to not only share our findings and knowledge with the identified stakeholders and training future workforce, but also seek feedback from the stakeholders regarding the strategy to implement the technology in powdered food plants.