KES Science & Technology, Inc. announces, Veg-Fresh Farms, LLC. integrated the NASA developed AiroCide food safety preventive controls air sanitation technology into their new facility located in Corona, CA.
With over 175 years of experience in the industry and a team comprised of many second or third generation produce professionals, Veg-Fresh Farms provides their customers with unparalleled service from the top down! Veg-Fresh Farms’ products and services are backed by their team’s commitments to excellence and customer satisfaction.
Veg-Fresh’s commitment to good food safety practices goes beyond adherence. They work with other industry organizations and government agencies in order to maintain strict food safety policies and guidelines. They have been ahead of the industry curve for 15 years in creating trace-back models, tracking product back to the individual fields in which they are grown. “We decided to utilize the AiroCide technology because we are committed to constantly improving the safety and quality of our products” says Dino Cancellieri.
The AiroCide Story Began In Space. NASA had a problem, ethylene gas (C2H4)! NASA’s pioneering space travelers had to learn to grow and manage their own crops. That required the development of space-age greenhouses where astronaut farmers could experiment with harvesting large-scale food crops. AiroCide technology was first launched aboard Space Shuttle Columbia, mission STS-73. While onboard the spacecraft, AiroCide was used to successfully preserve crop growth by removing ethylene gas and other airborne contaminants.
Ethylene is a naturally occurring, odorless, colorless, gas given off by plants. It speeds up the ripening of fruits, vegetables, and the aging of flowers. Ethylene gas also encourages decay. Comprised of carbon and hydrogen, in closed growing environments, like on a spacecraft or in a terrestrial greenhouse or a land-base perishable cooler, ethylene builds up rapidly and causes plants to mature too quickly. Removing ethylene, therefore, is important to preserving crops.
Not just in space but even here on Earth, supermarkets, cold storage warehouses and food processors are all concerned about reducing ethylene gas that ultimately shortens; the shelf life, storage life, and home life of their products.
This AiroCide Food Safety Preventive Controls Photo Catalytic Oxidation (PCO) system has been customer proven in destroying airborne; mold, fungi, mycotoxins, food allergens, bacteria, viruses, unpleasant odors and volatile organic compounds (VOC’s like ethylene gas as well as overall reduction of VOC emissions) thus helping to maximize shelf life and protect against product recalls.
How Does AiroCide Work? As contaminated pathogenic air is processed through a patented bio-conversion reactor bed, this green technology, integrated with Photocatalytic Oxidation (PCO), works in unison to destroy harmful airborne microbes and dismantle volatile organic compounds (VOC) while producing no by-products. Clinical studies show a 99% plus kill rate for microbials and removalof VOC’s. The AiroCide technology is a FDA listed medical device and carries CFIA approval in Canada. AiroCide is energy efficient, consuming less Energy then (3) 100 watt light bulbs.
What About Maintenance? A major beneficial consideration for the AiroCide technology is the extremely low maintenance cost in assuring maximum efficiency and performance. The Proprietary High Intensity Energy PCO Lamps require only annual replacement. Within the photocatalytic chamber, the Ti02 catalyst is self-cleaning non-depleting thus never requiring replenishing or exchanging.
AiroCide is manufactured and distributed by Atlanta-based KES Science and Technology, Inc. Please visit www.kesair.com or contact Jimmy Lee at 678-488-5847 or jlee@kesscience.com for more information.
