Mission:
Basic and applied research in food chemistry, food microbiology, food irradiation, food technology, and engineering is conducted in support of regulatory needs and to improve the safety of meat, poultry, fresh and fresh-cut fruits, vegetables, sprouts, and juices while retaining the desired quality attributes. The primary objectives are to develop new processes to improve the safety of the food supply and to determine the efficacy and suitability of new biological (i.e., competitive-exclusion), chemical, and non-thermal physical technologies (i.e., ionizing irradiation, vacuum-steam-vacuum, microwave, or electric field) for the decontamination of meat, poultry, fresh and fresh-cut fruits, vegetables, sprouts, and juices. An additional objective is to develop and manage an experimental, Biosafety-Level-2, facility where pilot plant level research on decontamination of produce can be conducted.