A Comprehensive Research Resource.
UVC has a long history of harmful pathogen destruction, including E. coli. We did the hard work of gathering research and compiling into a digestible resource.
2. UVC & Food
Processing: Overview
UVC damages the DNA and
RNA of microbes, rendering
them unable to reproduce,
followed soon after by
death.
Germicidal
Biological
UVC has shown to increase
the resistance to infection in
plants, as well as induce
other positive biological
responses.
plants growing with increased fresh mass.
shorter height.
increased branching.
quicker to flower or delayed flowering.
increased SA biosynthesis and induced sesquiterpenes
(how plants defend and reduce harm from pathogens).
UVC has been used in food processing for over 50 years to
disinfect water and air, treat wastewater, and decontaminate
surfaces.
Research studies cite the efficacy of UVC light in managing
disease/pathogen mitigation through direct germicidal
activity as well as the through the indirect ability to induce
defense responses in plants.
For many species, it has also been shown to up-regulate plant
metabolites (decreasing need for growth regulators ) when
applied pre-harvest, resulting in:
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3. UVC in Food Processing: Research
Conventional food safety technologies (thermal processing & pasteurization, cold plasma processing,
radiofrequency heating, pulsed electric fields, etc.) have been studied extensively for application in the
food industry, but they often alter physical and nutritional properties of food.
The US FDA's HACCP, Health Canada, and European Union have approved the use of UV light for
pathogenic control in many food industries already. And recent advances in engineering and
the practical development UVC LEDs (i.e. advances in semiconductor development) has led to novel
UVC-based tools with optimized intensity and better penetrability in food systems and products.
UVC LEDs offer a solution free of the undesirable characteristics (overheating, high energy costs, high
heat emission, warm-up times, risk of mercury contamination, limited control of wavelength emissions,
limited form factors, etc.) of traditional UVC sources (low-medium-pressure mercury lamps).
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, an estimated one-
third of food produced globally is lost or wasted each year. This includes losses at the different
stages of the food supply chain - including on-farm, harvest, processing, storage, transportation - with
majority of losses occurring due to inadequate storage conditions. UVC - especially LEDs - can be
utilized at every step of the food supply chain.
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4. UVC and E. coli
UVC has been proven to cause significant damage in the cytoplasmic
membrane and other cellular enzyme activity on E. coli.
UVC reduces airborne E. coli significantly (over 99.87% and 99.95%).
Research has shown UVC can effectively reduce E. coli on fruit and
berry surfaces.
Surface characteristics influence reduction amounts.
UVC reduced E. coli on apple surfaces more effectively than treatment
with pre-ozonated water spray.
E. coli was reduced by UVC approx. 95% on fresh cut apples.
UVC treatment of both apple skin and lettuce leaf surfaces achieved log
reductions consistent with those observed during sodium hypochlorite
washing.
Immersing apples in UVC irradiated water also significantly
decreased bacteria.
The 5-log reduction required by the FDA has been achieved with UVC
treatment of apple juice, pear juice and green juices.
UVC had no effect on the pH, total soluble solid content, viscosity,
chlorophyll content, or color of the green juices.
UVC showed greater germicidal efficacy (reducing E. coli to
undetectable limits) as a disinfection method of fresh cut cauliflower
than chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, or ozone.
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5. A one-minute UVC treatment reduced a mixed-culture biofilm (E.Coli, Salmonella, Listeria) on
lettuce by 1.45, 1.35 (over 90%) and 2.12 (just over 99%) log, respectively.
On aquaponics grown lettuce inoculated with E.Coli, UV treatment proved effective by
showing no internalized coliforms or E.Coli on the lettuce.
UVC reduced E. coli on surface of beef, chicken and pork by 10-log (99.99999999%).
UVC and UVC in combination with ozone treatment reduced pathogen and aerobic bacteria
populations on the surfaces of fresh beef.
UVC was found to significantly inactive E. coli on kasher cheese.
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UVC and E. coli Cont'd
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6. The Katana Advantage
Katana UVC is emitted from LED diodes that deliver
precise 265nm wavelength.
LEDs provide greater efficiency in power use and
through directional light.
No hassle in replacing bulbs or concern of chemical
contamination if accidentally broken.
Patent pending design means:
Devices are waterproof for ease of disinfection
between uses.
Sleek, flexible design perfect for endless application
opportunity, especially in hard to reach places and
all areas of plants.
Powerful, battery powered options for ease of use.
LED UVC kills 99.99% of viruses, bacteria, molds, and
other surface contaminants in seconds or less.