Food safety is getting a precision upgrade—thanks to bacteriophages, microneedles, and high-resolution 3D printing.
In a world where over hundreds of millions of people suffer from foodborne illness annually, the stakes have never been higher. Now, a team of researchers at McMaster University has unveiled a radically new approach: bacteriophage-loaded microneedle patches designed to deliver antimicrobial agents directly into solid food products, to eliminate pathogens like E. coli and Salmonella—without affecting taste, texture, appearance, aroma, or shelf-life.
The research team leveraged B9Creations technology to fabricate the custom microneedle molds that were foundational to validating a food-safe, scalable, and mechanically robust delivery system that has the potential to transform food safety practices.
The Food Safety Challenge
Foodborne illness remains a persistent global issue, causing over 600 million cases and 420,000 deaths annually, despite advances in regulation and monitoring. Ready-to-eat (RTE) products and raw meat are particularly susceptible to contamination in the final stages of production.
Bacteriophages—viruses that specifically target bacteria—are a compelling solution to microbial contamination in food. They’re food-safe, target-specific, and leave beneficial bacteria intact. But there’s a catch.
When sprayed on the surface of food, phages struggle to diffuse into the dense, complex matrices of meats and produce. That limits their effectiveness—especially in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods where surface decontamination isn’t enough.
The McMaster team’s breakthrough? Microneedles that deliver phages directly into the food, where the pathogens live.
The Innovative Solution
Introducing Bacteriophage-Loaded Microneedle Patches
The McMaster team developed a microneedle patch made from PMMA, a polymer deemed food-safe and mechanically robust. These microneedles:
- Penetrate the food’s surface with minimal disruption
- Deliver viable bacteriophages to target pathogens internally
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Achieve up to 3-log bacterial reductions - meeting regulatory safety standards
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Work across a range of food types including raw beef, cooked chicken, cheese, and fruit
The result: targeted, tunable, and tasteless decontamination - a potential revolution in how we prevent foodborne illness.
Where B9Creations Came In
Without B9Creations’ printing precision, producing the complex geometries needed for stable and effective microneedles would have required costly, time-consuming alternatives.
For microneedle technology to work, precision is non-negotiable. The geometry, sharpness, and consistency of each needle must be engineered to penetrate food while preserving bacteriophage viability.
That’s where B9Creations’ 3D printing platform made the difference.
We provided the high-resolution 3D printing capabilities needed to manufacture the custom microneedle molds used in the research. With our technology, the McMaster team was able to:
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Design and fabricate accurate microneedle arrays in-house
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Achieve smooth mold surfaces essential for consistent polymer casting
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Rapidly iterate across designs and materials with micron-level precision
- High reproducibility, allowing consistent testing across food types
In short: our printers helped turn a promising idea into a validated solution—ready for real-world testing.
The Results: Science Meets Scalability
The research demonstrated that microneedles loaded with T7 and FelixO1 phages (targeting E. coli and Salmonella) delivered powerful results:
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Raw beef and RTE chicken treated with the microneedles showed pathogen reductions sufficient to meet food safety regulations.
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Flat phage patches and surface sprays were far less effective.
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Large-scale microneedle arrays were also developed, showing promise for integration into consumer products and industrial food packaging.
And thanks to their food-safe materials and modular design, these microneedle patches are ready for scale.
Why This Matters
This research opens the door to a new class of smart food interventions that blend synthetic biology, materials science, and high-precision manufacturing. With widespread application potential across fresh produce, meat, and processed foods, bacteriophage-loaded microneedles could become a new standard in pathogen control.
B9Creations’ role exemplifies how cross-disciplinary collaboration and manufacturing innovation can enable scientific breakthroughs. As microneedle technologies move from clinic to kitchen, partnerships like this will be vital to scaling solutions that are both scientifically sound and operationally viable.
With this research, McMaster and B9Creations have jointly demonstrated how precision 3D printing can unlock new applications of bacteriophage therapy, elevating food safety protocols and potentially saving lives. This partnership underscores the power of applied innovation—when materials meet microbes, and printers meet problems.
This isn’t just about printing better parts. It’s about making a real-world impact—whether that’s in the lab, on the factory floor, or at your dinner table.
