Microwave Food Processing and Effect of Pathogens in Dielectric Properties

Abstract

The Objective of this study was to investigate the effect of food's dielectric characteristics on the effectiveness of inactivation of foodborne pathogens in white bread when subjected to microwave energy and measuring the variation in the reflection coefficient to determine the absorption impact of fresh and pathogenic bread to extending the bread shelf-life. At Microwave frequencies and temperatures between 25 and 85 degrees Celsius, while having a variety of dielectric properties, moisture content, the conventional and metamaterial antennas are designed using the Computer Simulation Technology (CST) microwave studio. The results show the comparison of traditional and metamaterial infused antennas in terms of gain, reflection coefficient, radiation efficiency, antenna size, and absorption efficiency. These study shows how microwave heating and the Split Ring Resonator (SRR) metamaterial effect on inactivate pathogens without affecting the food's nutrient benefit and how heating can affect dielectric properties.