Alliance-funded research leads to new sustainable grape mildew prevention technology
The new system, which could save growers tens of thousands of dollars per year, is based on research from Dr. Keith Warriner, food safety and microbiology professor in U of G's Department of Food Science, and developed and patented by Catharines, Ont., company Clean Works.
A harvester moves over rows of vines and subjects them to three elements: hydrogen peroxide, ozone and UV-C light, which is a known disinfectant. The technology attacks the fungus on the surface of the vine, unlike fungicides, which generally block the fungus from reproducing.
As reported by CBC News, mildew is managed with fungicides sprayed regularly throughout the growing season. The chemicals are expensive for wine growers, require strict safety protocols due to their toxicity and need to be managed carefully so fungi don't develop resistance to them.
Warriner says the decontamination technology is also being applied to hatchery eggs, vertical farms and in meat processing. Warriner and post-doc Mahdiyeh Hasani won U of G Innovation of the Year in 2020 for repurposing the technology to clean personal prtoective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read the article on CBC News: Ontario winery testing new green Canadian technology to fight age-old threat to grape crop | CBC News
Read more about the deconamination process developed at U of G: