Improving ready-to-eat meat safety: Evaluating the bacterial-inactivation efficacy of microplasma-based far-UVC light treatment of food-contact surfaces and deli turkey breast

The safety of ready-to-eat (RTE) deli meats, especially those sliced in retail establishments, may be improved by light-based surface decontamination. Conventional 254 nm ultraviolet-C (UVC) systems have strong germicidal effects but pose human-health hazards that make them unsuitable for retail use. This study therefore explores the efficacy of microplasma-based 222 nm far-UVC lamps as a safer alternative for decontaminating liquid buffer, two common food-contact surfaces (polyethylene terephthalate and stainless steel), and RTE turkey breast. In all three non-meat cases, the system achieved approximately 5-log reductions of both Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella Typhimurium. The system also caused a 1.3-log reduction of L. monocytogenes and a 1-log reduction of S. Typhimurium on turkey breast at the highest tested dose of 786.3 mJ/cm². Color is a key quality indicator for RTE meat consumers, and treatment caused no significant change in L∗, a∗, or b∗ color values (p > 0.05) until doses reached 224.7 mJ/cm². However, higher doses could lead to statistically significant color changes. Given that far-UVC light has been deemed human-safe by other studies, the proposed system has considerable potential to improve RTE food-related safety in retail establishments, even when consumers and workers are present.