Green agro-materials and cheminformatics for food supply security

UPCOMING Webinar

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW!

When: 12 PM EST USA, 16 September, 2026

Presenter: Michael Appell, 2026 Kenneth A. Spencer award winner. Collaborator, US Department of Agriculture (Retired).

Moderator: Solito Sumulong, Principal, Concerted Innovations LLC

Description:

Chemistry serves as the central science driving solutions to complex, interconnected vulnerabilities across agricultural systems and the global food supply. Recent breakthroughs in in silico design, artificial intelligence, and functional materials are fundamentally reshaping sustainable crop protection and food safety. Predictive cheminformatics models accelerate the discovery of bio-based antimicrobials and guide the development of tailored nanoporous materials, biomimetics, and chemosensors. These functionalized porous sorbents and green materials enable the rapid detection of grain contaminants and the selective, permanent removal of toxins from complex food and beverage matrices. Designed agro-materials provide an active, targeted defense against contamination across the agricultural supply chain, preserving commodity values and strengthening resilience from pre-harvest through processing.

What you will learn:

Strategic investment in green chemical innovations and agro-based materials is essential to building robust food systems, reducing food waste, and securing sustainable agricultural practices globally.

• Nanotechnology operates where classical mechanics and quantum mechanics merge (1–100 nm), producing emergent properties such as quantum confinement, high surface-to-volume ratios, and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR).
• Nanoporous polymers utilize host-guest inclusion complexes to selectively bind hydrophobic contaminants from aqueous matrices.
• Quantum chemical tools (DFT, TD-DFT) and QSAR models link certain quantum properties to higher antimicrobial activity, accelerating safer antimicrobial design.
• Natural GRAS phenolics show antimicrobial activity against major crop-damaging microbes.

Presenter Bios:

• Dr. Michael Appell is an internationally recognized chemist formerly with the USDA. Combining biochemistry, agricultural nanotechnology, and cheminformatics, this research strengthens food security, detects toxins through biomimetic chemosensors, and identifies food-grade antimicrobials. Dr. Appell’s work in quantum chemistry also advances sustainable agro-based bioproducts and cosmeceuticals derived from carbohydrates and lipids.

This webinar series is part of the AGRO Division’s ongoing commitment to providing technical excellence and regulatory insight to the agrochemical community. For past webinar recordings, please visit the Lunch and Learn Webinar Archive.  The AGRO Division Lunch and Learn webinar series is graciously sponsored by JRF Global.