New Study Confirms That UV Light Is Effective In Reducing Listeria On Broad Range Of Food Product Conveyor Belts
Food manufacturers may soon have additional incentive to add yet another weapon – ultraviolet light – to their arsenal in the continuing battle against food-borne pathogens.
Meat processors already go to incredible lengths to clean and sanitize their facilities, but are consistently searching for newer and better technology to sterilize the plant environment. Unfortunately, bacteria such as L. monocytogenes (“Listeria”) can sometimes survive in trace amounts for extended periods in food processing facilities, even though processors dedicate a full shift each day to cleaning disassembled equipment, conveyor belts, walls, ceilings and floors with high-pressure steaming water and powerful sanitizers.
Cleaning aside, a new study published in the journal Foodborne Pathogens and Disease confirmed that Listeria contamination could be significantly reduced on a broad range of conveyor belt surfaces by exposure to UV light. In a controlled environment, researchers introduced the pathogen to conveyor belts made from four different materials and then studied the effects of UV light application at two different intensities and two different time intervals (one and three seconds). After application of UV light for three seconds, the bacterial counts were reduced to below detection levels on three of the belts, and the survival populations on the fourth were considerably diminished. Click on the following link to view an abstract of the Listeria UV Study.
Notably, Listeria has always created unique challenges for industry because of its ability to grow and survive over a broad temperature range. In addition to its natural ability to propagate in cold temperatures, it can also sometimes persist, and be difficult to remove entirely from, food product contact surfaces.
This inherent resilience, of course, can also have a significant economic impact for processors. In 2009, for instance, seven voluntary and precautionary recalls (involving over 45,000 pounds of meat) were announced as a result of possible Listeria contamination. And as we recently reported, the average cost to food companies for a single recall can range as high as approximately $10 million, in addition to potential brand damage and lost sales.
In any event, while researchers and industry continue to assess this promising new data regarding the potential efficacy of UV light on different product contact surfaces, the American Meat Institute Foundation (AMIF) is also inviting pre-proposals on research for controlling Listeria on ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.
Hopefully, such collective efforts will illuminate a clearer path to new and effective interventions designed to eradicate, to the best extent possible, these and other persistent food-borne pathogens.
