Background

In America alone, approximately $160 billion worth of food is wasted each year. The limited shelf-life of many food products results in spoilage from varying places in the supply line to the consumer. A number of strategies have been developed to increase the shelf-life of food. Most strategies focus on adding chemical compounds to preserve the food (preservatives) or improving the packaging of the food products. Many preservatives have been linked to negative health effects while increased packaging adds to landfill waste.

The most common causes of food spoilage are: oxidation from air exposure and the growth of microbes on the food. Strategies such as vacuum sealing have been developed to limit the exposure of food to oxygen. However, vacuum sealing does not completely remove all the oxygen from containers and oxidation as well as microbial growth can still occur.

This technology focuses on systems for selective removal of oxygen from food containers to reduce food spoilage. Since standard air is roughly only 20% oxygen, the technology does not require a high vacuum to store food. Instead it consumes only the oxygen, which while leaving nitrogen which does not deteriorate food.

Technology Overview

AirOmatix has developed oxygen capture technology that can selectively remove oxygen from containers as small as the crisper in your fridge to as large as a shipping container. The technology allows for the continuous removal of oxygen using only the power of the sun. The removal of oxygen has been shown to decrease the degradation of a wide variety of food products such as avocados, meats, breads, and cheeses.

AirOmatix’s technology uses a reaction driving by light (solar or artificial) to trap oxygen in a chemical species. The trapped oxygen can be released as needed through a reaction that is controlled by the temperature of the system. Researchers have shown that solutions of 1,4-DMN will react with photochemically produced singlet oxygen. This results in a decrease in pressure inside a sealed flask. The produced endoperoxide is stable at cool temperatures, but with mild heating will release oxygen, regenerating 1,4-DMN. An irradiated system will decrease pressure, capturing oxygen. If the solution remains cool the pressure will stay constant storing oxygen. However, if the solution is heated the pressure will increase with release of oxygen. This technology can be used for oxygen concentration or oxygen removal. Oxygen from atmosphere can be collected in a 1,4-DMN solution under irradiation. Then, as needed the solution can be heated to release oxygen at a rate dependent on the solution temperature ().

Benefits

Oxygen free storage has already been proven an effective means of prolonging the shelf life of many products. However, most methods rely on consumable oxygen scavengers that must be disposed of after one use. AirOmatix’ technology allows for repeated use time and time again. Other techniques rely on the use of nitrogen or carbon dioxide tanks to flush out oxygen from containers. This selective oxygen capture system eliminates the need for constant refill of compressed gas tanks. While most of these technologies are used for commercial purposes, the AirOmatix technology can also be implemented for at home use by everyday consumers who want to reduce their food waste and increase their stored food quality.

Applications

The selective oxygen capturing technology shows great potential for large scale food transporters as well as anyone with a refrigerator looking to reduce their food waste. Currently the technology works best to remove oxygen from refrigerated environments, however, researchers are working towards oxygen removal at higher temperatures.

Opportunity

AirOmatix has the unique advantage of a low energy system for oxygen removal that does not rely on consumable components. This system can be adapted for varying sized The technology has many practical applications along the food supply line. Food shipped by way of sea freight may take many weeks until delivery. This system can allow for continuous oxygen removal even in the case of leaks.

Commercially, the technology can accommodate large refrigerated units such as those found at the grocery store. While food spoilage happens at every step along the supply line, grocery stores are a major contributor wasting billions of pounds of food each year. Smarter storage systems could allow longer shelf life for many fresh foods and reduce the amount of packaging necessary.

For in-home use, the initial target is a small in-home unit to remove oxygen from the crisper of your refrigerator. This allows consumers to increase the lifetime of their food reduce their grocery costs. Additionally, our unit can eliminate the need for consumables such as vacuum seal bags and consumable oxygen scavengers.

Photochemical Oxygen Storage and Thermal Release: AirOmatix, Inc.

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