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 reduction 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.