APPLYING TRIPLE-WASH AND NANOTECHNOLOGY TO MITIGATE MICROBIAL CROSS-CONTAMINATION ON LOCALLY GROWN PRODUCE THROUGH INTEGRATED RESEARCH AND EXTENSION ACTIVITIES

Objectives are 1) Apply nanotechnology to reduce microbial contamination in triple-wash process waters and develop an enterprise budget to assess the economic feasibility of the procedure; 2) Evaluate the effectiveness of applying triple-wash using antimicrobials with nanotechnology to mitigate microbial cross-contamination on locally grown produce in a commercial processing plant and develop plant onsite training courses; 3) Analyze foodborne pathogens in post-harvest process waters from small local produce growers in WV and develop online training modules for produce process water management based on FSMA regulations.