Despite the progress in the area of food safety, foodborne diseases still represent a massive challenge to the public health systems worldwide, mainly due to the substantial inefficiencies across the farm-to-fork continuum. Here, we report the development of a nano-carrier platform, for the targeted and precise delivery of antimicrobials for the inactivation of microorganisms on surfaces using Engineered Water Nanostructures (EWNS). An aqueous suspension of an active ingredient (AI) was used to synthesize iEWNS, with the 'i' denoting the AI used in their synthesis, using a combined electrospray and ionization process. The iEWNS possess unique, active-ingredient-dependent physicochemical properties: i) they are engineered to have a tunable size in the nanoscale; ii) they have excessive electric surface charge, and iii) they contain both the reactive oxygen species (ROS) formed due to the ionization of deionized (DI) water, and the AI used in their synthesis. Their charge can be used in combination with an electric field to target them onto a surface of interest. In this approach, a number of nature-inspired antimicrobials, such as H2O2, lysozyme, citric acid, and their combination, were used to synthesize a variety of iEWNS-based nano-sanitizers. It was demonstrated through foodborne-pathogen-inactivation experiments that due to the targeted and precise delivery, and synergistic effects of AI and ROS incorporated in the iEWNS structure, a pico- to nanogram-level dose of the AI delivered to the surface using this nano-carrier platform is capable of achieving 5-log reductions in minutes of exposure time. This aerosol-based, yet 'dry' intervention approach using iEWNS nano-carrier platform offers advantages over current 'wet' techniques that are prevalent commercially, which require grams of the AI to achieve similar inactivation, leading to increased chemical risks and chemical waste byproducts. Such a targeted nano-carrier approach has the potential to revolutionize the delivery of antimicrobials for sterilization in the food industry.

中文翻译：

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一种纳米载体平台，用于使用工程水纳米结构有针对性地递送受自然启发的抗菌剂，用于食品安全应用

尽管在食品安全领域取得了进展，但食源性疾病仍然是全球公共卫生系统面临的巨大挑战，这主要是由于从农场到餐桌的整个过程效率低下。在这里，我们报告了纳米载体平台的开发，用于使用工程水纳米结构 (EWNS) 有针对性地和精确地递送抗菌剂以灭活表面上的微生物。使用活性成分 (AI) 的水悬浮液合成 iEWNS，其中“i”表示合成中使用的 AI，使用组合的电喷雾和电离过程。iEWNS 具有独特的、依赖于活性成分的物理化学特性：i) 它们被设计为具有纳米级的可调尺寸；ii) 它们具有过多的表面电荷，iii) 它们既包含由于去离子 (DI) 水的电离而形成的活性氧 (ROS)，以及它们合成中使用的 AI。它们的电荷可以与电场结合使用，以将它们定位到感兴趣的表面上。在这种方法中，许多受自然启发的抗菌剂，如 H2O2、溶菌酶、柠檬酸及其组合，被用来合成各种基于 iEWNS 的纳米消毒剂。通过食源性病原体灭活实验证明，由于 AI 和 ROS 的靶向和精确递送以及结合在 iEWNS 结构中的协同作用，使用这种纳米技术将 AI 的皮克到纳克级剂量递送到表面。 - 载体平台能够在几分钟的曝光时间内实现 5-log 的减少。这种基于气溶胶但“干燥”的 使用 iEWNS 纳米载体平台的干预方法比目前商业上流行的“湿”技术具有优势，后者需要克数的 AI 来实现类似的灭活，从而导致化学风险和化学废物副产品的增加。这种有针对性的纳米载体方法有可能彻底改变食品工业中用于灭菌的抗菌剂的输送。