EP 14: A Look into Cold Plasma Technology

Join host Bruce Perkin and guest Dr. Brendan A. Niemira as they examine and explain cold plasma technology. Listen in to find out advantages cold plasma has over traditional methods, the environmental impact, benefit of cold plasma and food packaging, food preservation and more. Dr. Niemira has also reached out to a grower cooperator to build a large rig for spraying plasma-activated water directly onto growing crops.

Speaker:

Dr. Brendan A. Niemira is the Research Leader of the Food Safety and Intervention Technologies Research Unit at the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Eastern Regional Research Center in Wyndmoor, PA. He leads a team of 20+ scientists, engineers, technicians, postdocs and students in developing tools to kill human pathogens - E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, Shigella, norovirus, etc. - on produce, meats, poultry, eggs, and other foods. In addition to supervising scientific and administrative staff and setting short- and long-term research priorities, Dr. Niemira represents his team and USDA-ARS to the public and to stakeholders in domestic and international interactions. His personal research focuses on the development and validation of cold plasma, high intensity monochromatic light, and other nonthermal and precision thermal treatments for inactivation of human pathogens on a variety of foods. Dr. Niemira is the co-editor and author of a well-regarded reference text and holds one patent. He has published more than 150 peer-reviewed research articles, book chapters, and critical reviews. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Institute of Food Technologists and is a member of the International Association for Food Protection and the American Society for Microbiology. He is a member of the editorial boards for “Applied and Environmental Microbiology” and “Journal of Food Protection.”

Bruce Perkin is the principal scientist and operator of Robust Food Solutions LLC, a food science-based consultancy that has operated since 2017, providing strategic advice and hands-on support to food businesses in the areas of quality systems and food safety, innovation, product development, and organizational design.

Bruce is a Certified Food Scientist, a Certified HACCP practitioner, and is a Certified Manager of Quality and Organizational Excellence through the American Society for Quality. He is also a Preventative Controls Qualified Individual under the FSMA regulations. He has completed Food Defense training through the FDA and the FSPCA. Bruce is a past Chairperson of the Dallas /Fort Worth chapter of IFT, and also a past Chair of the Food Service Division of IFT. In addition, Bruce is a part-time Adjunct Professor at Texas Womens’ University teaching NPD, Food Science and Food Safety to Culinology students.