USDA grant furthers the development of HaloAdd™, our novel thermoplastic additive, to prevent pathogen cross-contamination and biofilms on modular conveyor belts using a potent rechargeable antimicrobial plus anti-fouling technology. Food safety is a priority goal for the USDA NIFA SBIR Program and the food industry for obvious food security, public health, and economic reasons. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) systems have been implemented industry wide to manage operational disinfecting and cleaning, but these approaches are not infallible. Technical solutions are needed that can enhance current systems and reduce the risk of food-borne illness. Because modular conveyor belts represent the second most prolific contact surface within typical food processing facilities, they pose a significant risk for cross-contamination and are a challenge to effectively clean. Key objectives for the project include:
1) Optimization of synthesis parameters to achieve maximum functionality,
2) Demonstration of product safety for food contact, and
3) Confirmation that polymer material properties are preserved.
Once commercialized, HaloAdd technology will leverage a substantial market opportunity and will hold a unique competitive advantage due to its ability to pass the EPA criteria for making supplemental residual antimicrobial claims when used together with chlorine-based disinfectants regularly.
About Halomine
Halomine™ Inc. is a chemistry-based technology and product company creating innovative solutions that manage surfaces and provide long-term protection against viruses, bacteria, and fungi/mold, in a wide variety of applications. The company’s unique proprietary combinations of specialty molecules and polymers are customized to provide prolonged antimicrobial efficacy to a wide range of surfaces and materials. Halomine’s unique solutions can not only protect against pathogens for weeks or months, but also make surfaces easier to clean, resist adhesion, prevent fouling, and inhibit the formation of biofilms.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Michael Newell, VP Sales and Marketing, Halomine Inc.