Effects of Ultraviolet Irradiation to Reduce the Numbers of Food-borne Pathogenic Microorganisms on Stainless Steel Chips
There has been a shift in food trends in Korea, due to an increase in income and changes in interest. Korean people have begun to prefer natural foods rather than artificial foods. Consumption patterns have shifted to a new culture called “Well-being” or “Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability”, and most consumers are demanding more fresh raw foods rather than processed foods. South Korean consumers consider that minimally processed vegetables have a beneficial effect on health. [Kim et al., 2006; El bieta et al., 2008; Urszula, 2008]. In Korea, large scale food poisoning outbreaks at school cafeterias and food service operations is increasing. According to a report from the Korea Food and Drug Administration in 2007, most cases of food poisoning in South Korea were caused by poor sanitation in cafeterias [KFDA, 2007]. Therefore improvement of cafeteria hygiene is necessary for many cafeterias and restaurants. Reports of food poisoning outbreaks over the 5 years has shown that the number of people affected has increased from 135 people in 2003 to 510 people in 2007 [Bae et al., 2006; KFDA, 2008] technically feasible and economically manageable solution to this serious problem is needed. Controlling microorganisms that cause food-borne illnesses is important in food safety, and increasing attention is being paid to physical, chemical, and biological methods for controlling food-borne pathogenic microorganisms, especially in food processing plants [Mackey and Derrick, 1979; Dickson, 1991]. Physical methods include high-voltage pulsed electric fields [Qin et al., 1995; Kim et al., 2003], oscillating magnetic fields, high hydrostatic pressures [Kalchayanand et al., 1994], sonication, ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, and microwave treatments [Shin and Pyun, 1997]. Chemical methods include the use of disinfectants and sanitizers, such as alcoholic compounds [Shin et al., 2001], quaternary ammonium compounds, iodine, acid/alkali solutions, [Yeon et al., 2006], and surfactants. Most food processing plants tend to use chemical methods due to greater convenience and lower cost. The use of chemical disinfectants is expected to increase in order to reduce the incidence of food poisoning associated with contact surfaces in cafeterias and other food-processing facilities. As of July 2007 there were 176 chemical sanitizers and disinfectants legally registered by the Korea Food and Drug Administration [KFDA, 2007] with standard methods. UV irradiation is an important physical procedure for water, tableware and kitchen utensil disinfection. The number of establishments using UV disinfection applications has been increasing [Oppenheimer et al., 1997; Rajala et al., 1997; Lazarova et al., 1998; Liberti and Notarnicola, 1999; Collivignarelli et al., 2000; Liberti et al., 2000; Lee et al., 2007]. UV disinfection typically kills bacterial spores, bacteria, and viruses, without leaving chemical residues. UV irradiation includes the electromagnetic radiation spectrum from 100 to 400 nm and is divided into UV-A (320-400 nm), UV-B (280-320 nm), and UV-C (280-100 nm) [Guerrero-Beltran and Barbosa-Canovas, 2004]. UV-C is considered to be germicidal against organisms where the highest germicidal effect is achieved between 250 and 280 nm. The maximum wavelength of 253-254 nm is normally used for disinfection of water, cooking utensil surfaces, various food surfaces, and liquid foods [Guerrero-Beltran and Barbosa-Canovas, 2005]. The advantages of UV-C are it is a non-thermal treatment, it has no unpleasant odor, and it has a low energy requirement when applied to foods, utensils, and water. The primary goals of this study were to evaluate the efficacy of UV irradiation disinfection techniques against z ·
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