Experimental investigations of microwave plasma UV lamp for food applications

The food industry is keen to have new techniques that improve the safety and/or shelf life of food products without the use of preservatives. There is considerable interest in developing UV light and ozone (O₃) treatments to enhance shelf life. A microwave radiation device that is a novel source of germicidal UV and O₃ suitable for the food industry has been developed, which offers speed, cost and energy benefits over existing sources. With this system comes the need to monitor a number of conditions, primarily UV intensity and ozone gas concentrations. The effectiveness of intense UV exposure for short periods of time was assessed on different microorganisms. Culture plates were exposed to a range of doses of UV-C light, and the reduction in numbers of surviving microorganisms was recorded. The results on the biocidal capacity of the microwave generated UV light are presented.