Ultraviolet Pasteurization for Food Industry

This article reviews the status and scope of ultraviolet (UV) light technology in food processing industry for control of foodborne pathogens and spoilage organisms for food safety and shelf life extension. The literature suggests that there have been extensive studies on application of ultraviolet light for disinfection of apple ciders. FDA acceptable reduc- tion of pathogens and spoilage organisms were reported by UV treatment of for apple cider. Several recent studies on UV treatment of milk suggest that there is more work needed to improve design of UV reactors for raw milk processing. Fresh produce industry will also benefit from UV processing so that occurrence of frequent outbreaks can be avoided. A brief review of recent applications in produce industry has also been reported. Finally a recommendation was made for future direction of UV application research in food processing industry. Deterioration of foods by pathogenic and spoilage mi- croorganisms can be minimized by food processing and preservation techniques. Frequent outbreaks of foodborne pathogens are associated with fresh produce, milk and fruit juices. Currently, produce industry uses chemicals and fu- migants to control pathogens in packing and handling in- dustries. The liquid foods and dairy industry uses thermal pasteurization methods to disinfect food pathogens and ex- tend the shelf-life of products. Though thermal methods are effective in inactivating microorganisms, thermal process- ing negatively affects foods through losses in vitamins; and changes in sensory properties, such as color, flavor and wholesomeness (Montenegro et al. 2002). Moreover, ther- mal processing is not practical in fresh produce industry. Thermal pasteurization also affects enzyme inactivation, lipid oxidation, protein denaturation and non-enzymatic browning. Therefore nonthermal processing methods are being studies as alternative food processing techniques. Currently several nonthermal technologies are under re- search. Some of these technologies are ultrasound (US), high-pressure processing (HPP), pulsed electric fields (PEF), pulsed light treatment (PL), ultraviolet light (UV), and non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma (NTAP). These novel non-thermal methods may be useful in inactivating foodborne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms from a