2026 Student Hygienic Design Challenge Statement
Develop an optimal food contact surface or coating solution that enables complete removal of dry powder products from packaging system components without introducing moisture.
The Challenge
Dry powder processing systems—handling products like dairy powder and infant formula—face a critical challenge: establishing a "clean break" between production runs without wet cleaning. Your mission is to identify or develop surface treatments, coatings, or design modifications that allow complete product removal using only dry cleaning methods.
Current Industry Challenge
Dry powder production facilities struggle to achieve complete product removal from food contact surfaces without introducing moisture. Current dry cleaning methods (air, vacuum, vibration, product purges) often leave residual powder in "hang up" points such as:
- Compressed surface areas
- Pipe elbows and bends
- Flanges and connections
- Equipment crevices
- Dead spaces in vessels
The Risk: Residual powder in persistently dry environments can harbor pathogens of concern (Salmonella, Cronobacter) that survive extended periods in hot, desiccated conditions. These organisms await the next introduction of moisture and nutrients to proliferate, creating significant food safety risks.
Dry powder production facilities struggle to achieve complete product removal from food contact surfaces without introducing moisture. Current dry cleaning methods (air, vacuum, vibration, product purges) often leave residual powder in "hang up" points such as:
- Compressed surface areas
- Pipe elbows and bends
- Flanges and connections
- Equipment crevices
- Dead spaces in vessels
Industry Need: Any dry processing operation concerned with microbiological contamination would benefit from improved methods for establishing clean breaks without moisture introduction.
Residual powder in persistently dry environments can harbor pathogens of concern (Salmonella, Cronobacter) that survive extended periods in hot, desiccated conditions. These organisms await the next introduction of moisture and nutrients to proliferate, creating significant food safety risks.
Dry powder production facilities struggle to achieve complete product removal from food contact surfaces without introducing moisture. Current dry cleaning methods (air, vacuum, vibration, product purges) often leave residual powder in "hang up" points such as:
- Compressed surface areas
- Pipe elbows and bends
- Flanges and connections
- Equipment crevices
- Dead spaces in vessels
Industry Need: Any dry processing operation concerned with microbiological contamination would benefit from improved methods for establishing clean breaks without moisture introduction.
Food Safety Impact:
- Pathogens adapted to dry conditions pose serious contamination risks
- Incomplete product removal creates harboring sites for microbial growth
- Any moisture introduction during cleaning creates ideal conditions for pathogen proliferation
- Regulatory agencies have significant concerns about residual product in dry systems
Operational Impact:
- Establishing clean breaks can require days or weeks of downtime
- Dismantling closed systems introduces contamination risks
- Wet cleaning in dry environments creates pathogen growth opportunities
- Current methods are time-consuming, costly, and risky
Your Mission
Develop a solution that addresses one or more of the following Primary Focus Areas:
Surface/Coating Properties
Identify or develop food contact surfaces with optimal characteristics for powder release:
- Surface finish and polish specifications
- Coefficients of friction
- Electrostatic properties
- Hydrophobic/oleophobic characteristics
- Material composition
- Microstructure considerations
Conveyance/Removal Methods
Explore effective dry cleaning techniques:
- Forced air (varying temperature, humidity, pressure)
- Vacuum systems
- Product purging/scouring strategies
- Vibration methods
- Combined approaches
Design Integration
Consider how surface solutions integrate with:
- Bins and hoppers
- Conveyance lines
- Receivers
- Fillers
- Other packaging system components
Requirements & Constraints
Must Meet:
- Food Safety: All materials must be safe for food contact
- 3-A Compliance: Solutions must meet 3-A Sanitary Standards
- Dry Cleaning Only: No moisture introduction
- Complete Removal: Minimize or eliminate product "hang up" points
- Commercial Viability: Practical for industry implementation
Consider:
- Retrofit compatibility vs. new design
- Material costs and availability
- Scalability to industrial applications
- Maintenance and durability
- Regulatory approval pathways
Scope & Approach
Your team may choose to:
- Identify and test existing coating/surface technologies for optimal powder release
- Develop novel surface treatments or modifications
- Compare multiple surface types with quantitative performance metrics
- Design innovative equipment geometries that enhance powder release
- Combine surface solutions with conveyance methods for comprehensive approach
- Focus on specific equipment types (bins, piping, fillers, etc.)
Teams have flexibility to define their specific focus within the broader challenge parameters.
What Success Looks Like
An effective solution will:
- Demonstrate measurably improved powder release compared to current industry standards
- Provide quantitative data on surface performance (friction, adhesion, electrostatics, etc.)
- Meet food safety and regulatory requirements
- Show practical applicability to real industrial equipment
- Consider both food safety impact and operational cost benefits
- Include clear implementation pathway for industry adoption
Timeline
December 2025: Teams begin work, coaches assigned.
- Team members finalized by 12/31/2025.
January 2026: Teams continue work and meet with coaches as needed
- Document submission portal opens 1/1/2026.
February 2026: Midpoint review with coaches
March 1, 2026: Final submissions deadline and judges review.
April 6, 2026: Winners announced
May 5-7, 2026: Top teams present at Hygienic Design Summit at the Marriott Chicago O'Hare.