British Columbia Produce Wholesaler

Airocide PPTTM Perishables Preservation Technology

Airocide PPTTM photocatalytic air purifiers contain the same NASA-developed technology that is used in a variety of Airocide product lines. In addition to serving the food safety industry as well as in floral and perishable preservation Airocide technology has been developed to kill/remove/eliminate airborne pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms in vegetative and spore states (bacteria, mold, fungi, viruses and dust mites), allergens, odors and harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air in a variety of commercial, government and residential market applications including the medical healthcare industry (Airocide is listed as an FDA Class II Medical Device).

Summary

A study was conducted in a refrigerated cooler inside an organic produce distribution center warehouse in British Columbia, Canada to determine if the Airocide photocatalytic air purifying technology would reduce the amount of airborne mold and bacteria. Results inside the cooler were compared to the outer warehouse area where no Airocide PPT™ units were used. The system reduced the amount of airborne mold and bacteria inside the cooler by 26% and 6%, respectively, in 24 hours. The warehouse area showed a 172% increase in airborne mold and no change in airborne bacteria in the same time frame.

Conditions

The subject was a certified organic perishable warehouse. The test cooler was a 449 m³ tomato storage area constructed as a partition off the main warehouse and divided into an enclosure with flexible plastic sheeting to form two walls in the corner of the warehouse. The plastic sheeting was secured using construction tape with plastic airstrips as the only enclosure for the doorway and was ripped near the floor creating several openings where the air could escape or enter. There was only one (1) evaporator to cool this storage room creating less air movement than found in most cold storage facilities. The temperature in the main warehouse averaged 7 °C during the test. Immediately outside the cooler is the re-packing station where tomatoes are divided by grade and moldy product is washed. The test cooler is used for storage of both new deliveries and re-packed products with clean tomatoes placed next to moldy tomatoes.

Protocol

The test period consisted of two (2) consecutive days of air sampling. Baseline reading with no Airocide air purifying system operating was conducted for comparison to the “Active On” test. Each air sample measured two types of microbes, airborne bacteria and airborne mold. Samples were taken inside the cooler and directly outside in the warehouse area.

Results

The table below shows an airborne mold and bacteria reduction of 26% and 6%, respectively, in 24 hours.