microzap inc. says its technology keeps bread to mouldfree for about 60 days. for about 10 seconds, the bread is bombarded with microwaves that kill the mould spores, said don stull, chief executive officer. the procedure could eliminate bakers&39 requirement for ingredients and preservatives used to mask the flavor of preservatives&39, as well as increases shelf life of bread and reduces food waste, he said. scientists at texas tech university also see using this technology in bread made in developing nations, where there are less food security standards and spoilage is a big problem. mindy brashear is the director of the lubbock university&rsquos center for food industry excellence. mindy explained that it could help them to provide a plentiful food source for those who are in need. the vision of helping people in developing nations is what inspired the microbiology professor to help to develop the technology over the span of last eight years. after 2 months, researchers came to know that the treated bread, which remained packaged, had the similar mould content when compared to a freshly baked one, stull mentioned. at the end, though, he understands it comes down to customers&rsquo palates. stull said that the customers saw no apparent quality difference in the breads. testers found the treated bread&39s texture and taste unchanged. a reporter of the associated press found the same. although a little warm from the microwaves, a piece of white bread was equally soft and tasted like the one that hadn&39t been zapped. however, two months old bread was not available to taste. estimates revealed by the natural resources defence council indicated that in 2008, in the u.s., instore food losses totaled an estimated 43 billion pounds. it is 10 percent of all foods supplied to retail outlets. most of those are perishables, including bread. unrefrigerated bread that is wrapped in plastic will succumb to mould in duration of about 10 days, so keeping it at a bay for around two months presents a fresh proposition. not so fast, mentions ruth macdonald, who is professor as well as chair of food science and human nutrition in the iowa state university. she says there are a lot of airborne mould spores everywhere. so, according to her, adding that though bread manufacturers might like the technology for transportation and storage, those spores are problematical at home. she said, once you open a bag of bread, all bets are off. mould is one kind of fungus that forms as bread kept in plastic packaging still contains water inside it. when this trapped water starts to disperse inside the bag, the surface of bread becomes moist, which creates the ideal environment for mould to form. researchers tested the microzap on three different types of mould on breads wrapped inside plastic bags with twist ties, and then the microwaves demolished each one. however, there are certain characteristics that the zapping won&39t improvise it will not keep bread from going stale. as for firmness, touch and flavor after 2 months, one scientist had his doubts. brian strouts is head of experimental baking for the manhattan, which is a kan.based nonprofit american institute of baking. according to brian, there would definitely be some questions regarding the texture of the bread holding for 2 months. brian further said that it wouldn&rsquot be the solution to all the problems regarding baked goods. he says there are a lot of things that can begin happening, such as bread becoming rancid. microzap is not a commercial bakery. it has no plans to do packaging for its own bread or not thinking of operating a plant where bread is treated. for the moment, its objective is to find a bread manufacturer that wants to execute a pilot program by using a same metallic device like the testing prototype in a production line. stull said, a patent is pending on the technology, and they&39re in talks with financiers. microzap was also contacted by the u.s. department of agriculture regarding possibly using the technology for exported vegetables and fruits. stull mentioned microzap has just finished drawings for an inhome unit thus the consumers could treat bread as well as other foods themselves. an inhome unit would cost around 100 more than an ordinary microwave. microwaving bread is not the same procedure as irradiation. irradiation is a technique which kills food pathogens. in microwaving, no gamma rays are used. hence, it is different from irradiation. the u.s. government has allowed irradiation for a vast array of foods such as spices, meat, certain imported fruits, and the seeds that are used to grow sprouts. irradiation doesn&rsquot make the food radioactive. the microwaves that used in the university lab are of the same frequency as commercial units. however, they were delivered in an array which gets a homogenous signal to the bread, results in eliminating the cold and hot spots that are common when heating food in kitchen microwaves. the technology was primarily proposed to kill bacteria such as mrsa, which is a contagious bacterial infection that is resistant to salmonella, and many frequently used antibiotics. however, researchers found it also destroyed mould spores in bread and sterilized processed or fresh foods without damaging or cooking them. while bread producers have showed interest in technology, there is concern that it could increase the price in an industry which has already tight margins. stull says that he thinks the consumers are going to drive this change more than the companies. source of information httpwww.ctvnews.cahealthfreshideamicrowavekeepspackagedbreadmouldfreefor60d…
