CO-PROTECTOR: A COld plasma aPpROach to TrEating ConTamination in FOod PowdeRs

Powdered foods, such as baby formula and nutritional supplements, can harbour dangerous pathogens such as _Salmonella_ and outbreaks are common. For example, in 2017, an outbreak of _Salmonella_ in baby milk led to 39 infants falling ill and the recall of millions of products worldwide. Powdered and granular foods (infant milk powder, herbs and spices, seeds, protein supplements) also have sensitive functionality properties and a tendency to clump, creating challenging conditions for current disinfection methods (UV, microwaves). This means effective disinfection requires high energy demands and long process times, which prohibits them from being cost-effective. This ambitious industrial research project ('CO-PROTECTOR') aims to further develop, optimise and test a novel cold plasma approach to decontaminate powdered and granular food products. We will integrate our innovative plasma generation solution into a fluidised bed dryer, allowing producers to simultaneously dry and disinfect powdered foods. Fluidised beds are familiar to the food processing sector, making our disruptive solution easier to adopt as a commercially viable solution. The project will deliver critical independently verified results by collaborating with well-established stakeholders including the Natural Resources Institute ('NRI') at the University of Greenwich and Campden BRI. As a young SME developing a novel, disruptive solution for the food processing sector, Innovate UK funding will enable Plasma Fresh to prove our approach to provide a cost-effective, time-saving and energy-efficient solution.