The Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark provided financial backing to Infuser for the development of aqueous disinfection for the Food Industry.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are a major source of essential nutrients. They have lots of health benefits and are necessary for human wellbeing. However, being perishable products they undergo natural ripening, ageing and later, spoilage. In addition, food pathogens may contaminate them at some point of the supply chain and can present risk of outbreaks of foodborne diseases. Bacterial and fungal infestation of fruits and vegetables is a serious issue in the food industry worldwide. Contamination due to microbial growth on fruits and vegetables during harvest, storage and food processing, affect their shelf-life and compromise their safety. This is a major concern in organic products, since organic practices include the use of weaker cleaning and decontaminating agents and require fast and careful handling of the raw materials.

Therefore, INFUSER and its academic and industrial partners have submitted an application, which has been granted by the Ministry of Environment and Food in Denmark (Miljø og Fødevareministeriet) through the Grønt Udviklings- og Demonstrations (GUDP) Program. INFUSER together with The University of Copenhagen and the Copenhagen University of Applied Sciences will now actively research and develop solutions to minimize microbial spoilage, extend shelf-life and reduce the risk of pathogen contamination.

Washing is an important element that significantly influences the quality and safety of the fruits and vegetables. The use of ozone in washing fruits and vegetables has potential to increase shelf-life and guarantee the safety of the products, without compromising the organoleptic characteristics expected from a fresh product.

For growers, producers, transporters and restaurateurs, disinfection is high on their agenda as it ensures an extended shelf-life and ultimately consumer acceptance. Our partners Hunsballe Grønt, Frankly Juice and Gl. Estrup Gartneri will be the first grower, fresh vegetables provider and juice producer to utilize Infuser technology. With this they will reduce their wastage of raw products and introduce organic juice with potentially twice the shelf life than before.