Ultraviolet LED Technology for Food Applications

From Farms to Kitchens

Tatiana Koutchma, Tatiana Koutchma

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9780128177952
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Food Science
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Ultraviolet LED Technology for Food Applications: From Farms to Kitchens examines the next wave in the LED revolution and its ability to bring numerous advantages of UVC disinfection. As UVC LED-based light fixtures will become the driving force behind wider adoption, with potential use in the treatment of beverages, disinfection of food surfaces, packaging and other food contact and non-contact surfaces, this book presents the latest information, including LEDs unique properties and advantages and the developments and advances made in four areas of application, including produce production and horticulture, post-harvest and post processing storage, safety and point-of-use applications.

Alternative opportunities to current practices of food production and processing that are more sophisticated and diverse are being intensively investigated in recent decades, things like Ultraviolet light (UV) irradiation. The effects of UVC LEDs against bacteria, viruses and fungi already have been demonstrated and reported, along with the first applications for disinfection of air, water and surface made for the "point-of-use" integration.

• Brings unique advantages of LEDs for foods from farm to kitchens
• Explores applications and advances in LEDs for horticulture, crops production, postharvest reservation and produce storage
• Investigates UV LEDs in food safety

Chapter 1

Overview of Ultraviolet (UV) LEDs Technology for Applications in Food Production

Tatiana Koutchma, PhD ¹ , Vladimir Popović, Msc ² , and Andrew Green, Msc ^{2 1} Research Scientist, Guelph Research and Development Center, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Guelph, ON, Canada ² Guelph Research and Development Center, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Guelph, ON, Canada

Abstract

Ultraviolet light (UV, UVC) disinfection is a well-established technology for air, water, and surfaces treatments. In the last decade, UV technology found more applications in food production chain because this is economic, effective, and versatile dry processing technology that can potentially improve safety and preservation quality of different categories of foods.

Traditional way of generating UVC light is using high-voltage arc-discharge mercury or amalgam lamps that can generate photons solely at 253.7 nm. Light-emitting diodes or LEDs are semiconductor devices that can also emit UVC light, but depending on the material properties of the diodes, they can emit photons at multiple wavelengths in the UV range between 255 and 365 nm. The germicidal effects of UV LEDs against bacteria, viruses, and fungi already have been demonstrated and reported along with the first applications for disinfection of air, water, and surfaces made for the “point of use” integration. Despite the fact that there are no commercial applications in food production yet, the UV LEDs are the next wave in the LED revolution that can bring numerous advantages for food processing, safety, and plants facilities disinfection.

This chapter will present the introduction in basics of LEDs technology and will discuss the unique advantages of this technology for food safety applications. Also, economical, energy saving, and sustainability aspects of UV LED applications are introduced.

Keywords

Food applications; Safety; UV light; UVC light-emitting diodes (UVC LEDs)

1. UV Light as an Emerging Food Safety Technology
2. Continuous UV Light Basics and Germicidal Effects
3. Sources of Continuous UV Light
   1. Low-Pressure Mercury Lamps
   2. UV LEDs

1. Comparison of Technical Specifications and Performance of UV LEDs with Low-Pressure Lamps
   1. Wavelength
   2. Thermal Energy and Operating Temperature
   3. Power Output
   4. Lifetime

1. UV LEDs Market Development
2. Unique Advantages of UV LEDs for Foods From Farm to Kitchens
   1. Improved Inactivation Efficacy at Optimal UVC Wavelength
   2. Shelf Life Extension
   3. Operating Advantages
   4. Flexibility of Design or Point of Use Applications for Bench-Top Experiments, Processing, and Sanitizing Solutions
   5. UpSizing From Bench-Scale to Industrial Disinfection Applications

1. Economical, Energy Saving, and Sustainability Aspects of LEDs for Foods
2. Conclusions
3. References

UV Light as an Emerging Food Safety Technology

For many years, ultraviolet (UV) light has been considered as a technology that suits solely for water and waterlike UV transparent fluids because of the challenges of low penetration in foods and beverages. The first recorded use of UV light as a means of disinfection occurred in the late 1800s (Downes & Blunt, 1878). In these early systems, the sun was used as a light source to disinfect water. In 1903, the Nobel Prize for medicine was awarded to Niels Finsen, who discovered that UV light could be used to inactivate pathogenic organisms (The Nobel Foundation, 1903). By 1910, the first UV water disinfection unit using early mercury vapor lamps (Hewitt lamps) was deployed in France (U.S. Army Public Health Command, 2014). The development of lamps capable of producing UV photons furthered the advancement of UV-mediated disinfection technologies by removing reliance on the sun. The tubular low-pressure mercury (LPM) lamps developed by General Electric in the 1930s led to wider use of the technology both for germicidal purposes and for general lighting.

Recently, following the successful applications in water and juice treatments that demonstrated the high inactivation efficiency of UVC light, the UV technology started to emerge and became one of the most promising nonthermal and nonchemical preservation processes that slowly being adopted in food processing. Industrial UV systems have been developed for new food and beverages applications that are capable to deliver efficient processes targeted against pathogenic and spoilage contaminants in many categories of fluid food products, drinks, and ingredients. The examples of existing and potential applications of UV light include fruit and vegetable juices, teas and coffees, milk, sugar syrups, liquid eggs and egg components, wine, and protein ingredients.

Given the expectations of minimum effects on products quality, flavor, nutritive content, and overall health benefits, the use of nonthermal, nonionizing, and nonchemical technologies such as UV light is considered as more advanced, less expensive alternative processing option for foods. The advantages associated with UV treatment are that it is effective against food, water, and airborne pathogens and can control pathogens level in food processing and storage facilities. No known toxic or significant nontoxic by-products are formed during the treatment, certain organic contaminants can be removed, no off taste or odor is formed when treating foods and beverages, and the treatment requires less energy when compared with thermal pasteurization processes. The US FDA approved UVC for treatment of juice products to ...