Ultraviolet Light (254 nm) Inactivation of Pathogens on Foods and Stainless Steel Surfaces

Abstract

Ultraviolet Light (254 nm) is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration‐approved nonthermal intervention technology that can be used for decontamination of food surfaces. In this study, the use of ultraviolet light (UV‐C) at doses of 0.5–4.0 J/cm2 to inactivate a cocktail of Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus that were surface‐inoculated on frankfurters, bratwurst, shell eggs, chicken drumsticks, boneless skinless chicken breasts, boneless pork chops, tomatoes and jalapeno peppers was investigated. The pathogens displayed similar sensitivities to UV‐C on individual food products. Pathogen reductions ranged from approximately 0.5 log/g on raw meat and poultry to almost 4 log/g on tomatoes, while the pathogens were not recovered from stainless steel at a UV‐C dose of 0.4 J/cm2. Use of UV‐C light should be given serious consideration as a technology for routine surface decontamination of food contact surfaces and appropriate food products. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Ultraviolet light (UV‐C) is an U.S. Food and Drug Administration‐approved intervention technology that can be used to inactivate pathogenic bacteria in liquid foods and water, food contact surfaces, and food surfaces. This work indicates than UV‐C would be an effective technology for inactivation of foodborne pathogens on the surfaces of frankfurters and sausages immediately prior to packaging, shell eggs immediately prior to cracking in the production of liquid egg products, and smooth skinned produce such as tomatoes and jalapeno peppers prior to further processing. This work provides pathogen inactivation kinetics for food processors and government regulatory agencies.

Effect of aqueous chlorine dioxide and UV-C treatment on the microbial reduction and color of cherry tomatoes

“…Fonseca and Rushing (2006) reported that UV-C irradiation at 4,100 J m -2 reduced the microbial populations of fresh-cut watermelon cubes by 1.5 log CFU/g. Recently, Sommers et al (2010) reported that a UV-C dose of 0.5 J m -2 inactivated 2.6-3.1 log CFU of Salmonella spp., L. monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus on the surface of Roma tomatoes.…”

Resistances to UV-C irradiation of Salmonella Typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus in wet and dried suspensions on surface with egg residues

“…Ultraviolet-C (254 nm) light treatment has been used widely in the food industries and hospitals for air and surfaces sanitation (Anderson, Bånrud, Bøe, Bjordal, & Drangsholt, 2006;Sommers, Sites, & Musgrove, 2010). Furthermore, UV-C irradiation also has been applied for pasteurization of water and liquid foods such as fruit juices, milk and egg albumen (Tran & Farid, 2004;Unluturk, Atilgan, Baysal, & Unluturk, 2010).…”

Application of emerging technologies to control Salmonella in foods: A review

“…UV light's potential in destroying bacteria, viruses and parasites has been documented by many researchers (Bintsis, Litopoulou-Tzanetaki, & Robinson, 2000;Chang et al, 1985;Demirci, 2002;Dunn, Ott, & Clark, 1995;Harm, 1980;Huang & Toledo, 1982;Rowan, MacGregor, Anderson, Fouracre, & Farish, 1999;Shechmeister, 1983;Sommers, Sites, & Musgrove, 2010). Like many of its counterpart decontamination technologies, UV light has destructive effect on bacteria which is attributed to many reasons.…”