Ultraviolet in Food Preservation and Processing

Ultraviolet-A Light Dehydration of Purple Potatoes

“…However, it can also be expected that some spoilage enzymes (such as polyphenol oxidase, as explained earlier) be inactivated upon UV-A light exposure. Previous studies have reported that the effect of UV light irradiation in enzymes tends to be more specific, by targeting amino acid functional groups found in the active sites, thereby eliminating the possibility of enzymatic reactions. Therefore, UV-A light dehydration may have two positive effects related to proteins; it can inactivate spoilage enzymes while possibly preserving nutritional quality.…”

“…However, it can also be expected that some spoilage enzymes (such as polyphenol oxidase, as explained earlier) be inactivated upon UV-A light exposure. Previous studies have reported that the effect of UV light irradiation in enzymes tends to be more specific, by targeting amino acid functional groups found in the active sites, 6…”

“…The use of ultraviolet (UV) light in the C spectrum (UV-C, 200–280 nm) in food processing has been widely studied, mainly to reduce spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms in food matrices and surfaces, to inactivate enzymes and toxins, and to disinfect food packaging materials and processing surfaces with the added benefit of minimal energy consumption and low installation and maintenance costs. , However, exposure to UV-C radiation can cause serious health problems in humans, such as cataracts, severe burns, and skin cancer . In addition, UV-C light can degrade a range of nutrients in foods. , …”

“…5 In addition, UV-C light can degrade a range of nutrients in foods. 6,7 UV-A light (315−400 nm) does not have the antimicrobial power of UV-C, 8 but based on research published recently, 9 it has great potential to be used as a dehydration agent. The benefits of UV-A light for food dehydration have not been sufficiently explored.…”

Effect of UV–Vis irradiation on enzymatic activities and the physicochemical properties of nectarine juices from different varieties

“…An alternative approach to improve food safety in liquid food products and the surface of solid foods is the ultraviolet (UV) processing (Ibarz, Garvín, & Falguera, 2015), based on the lethal effect of UV radiation in the range of 250e260 nm to most micro-organisms, including bacteria, viruses, protozoa, fungi, yeasts, algae and bacterial spores (Bintsis, Litopoulou-Tzanetaki, & Robinson, 2000; Gay an, Alvarez, & Condon, 2013;Müller et al, 2013).…”