Light-activated self-sanitizing surface coatings to prevent cross-contamination from zone I and zone II surfaces

Overall, the proposed research plan aims to address a significant unmet need to reduce the risk of cross-contamination using food grade photoactive materials developed for applications on zone I and zone II surfaces.The overall objectives are:Aim 1: Develop and evaluate food grade photoactive antimicrobial coatings for model zone I and zone II surfaces for reducing the risk of cross-contamination from both bacterial and viral pathogens and bacterial biofilmsAim 2: Evaluate enhancement in the efficacy of the modified coatings to reduce the risk of cross-contamination by developing affinity enabled photoactive antimicrobial coatings and photoactive antimicrobial "slippery" coatings with an additional antifouling functionalityAim 3: Evaluate mechanisms of inactivation of target microbes using photo-activated coatings and assess translation of the coatings to pilot scale systems.Success in this proposal will address a long-standing unmet need in the food industry to achieve continuous sanitation of diversity of zone I and zone II surfaces using food grade photoactive coatings and reduce the risk of cross- contamination.