Modeling Pathogen Cross-Contamination and Chlorine Dynamics in Fresh Produce Wash-Cycles

Our project team will build a novel experimental platform and mathematical models that quantify the underlying mechanisms of wash water chemistry and pathogen transfer during produce wash cycles. Our main goals are to(i) Develop quntitative models that can be used to predict the dynamics of pathogen cross-contamination.(ii) Determine factors that influence the effectiveness of sanitizers during the wash process, so that its use may be optimized.Our research represents a major change from current practices for prediction of pathogen levels and tools for validating sanitization efficacy, and is based on understanding the water chemistry during produce wash based on clear scientific descriptions that will inform the development of new pathogen/produce specific control measures.Objective 1: Determine the mechanisms and dynamics of cross-contamination for different pathogens, and the dependence of these dynamics on produce type.Objective 2: Ascertain if the chemical oxygen demand (COD) is the main source of chlorine consumption, and quantify this consumption rate and free chlorine efficacy in deactivating different pathogens attached to various produce types.Objective 3: Quantitatively elucidate the mechanisms by which free chlorine levels affect various pathogen survival in well-mixed conditions.