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ARS Home » Plains Area » Clay Center, Nebraska » U.S. Meat Animal Research Center » Meat Safety and Quality » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #366266
Research Project: Mitigation Approaches for Foodborne Pathogens in Cattle and Swine for Use During Production and Processing

Location: Meat Safety and Quality

Title: Evaluation of UVC radiation and a UVC-ozone combination as fresh beef interventions against Shiga Toxin-producing Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes and their effects on beef quality

Author
item Kalchayanand, Norasak - Nor
item Bosilevac, Joseph - Mick
item King, David - Andy
item Wheeler, Tommy

Submitted to: Journal of Food Protection
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/21/2020
Publication Date: 9/1/2020
Citation: Kalchayanand, N., Bosilevac, J.M., King, D.A., Wheeler, T.L. 2020. Evaluation of UVC radiation and a UVC-ozone combination as fresh beef interventions against Shiga Toxin-producing Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes and their effects on beef quality. Journal of Food Protection. 83(9):1520-1529. https://doi.org/10.4315/JFP-19-473.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4315/JFP-19-473

Interpretive Summary: UV light and ozone have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a sanitizer for food-contact surfaces and for direct application on food products. Both UV light and ozone are effective in reducing microorganisms without leaving chemical residues in food. Fresh beef tissues were exposed to UV light or UV in combination with gaseous ozone to evaluate their effect on reducing pathogenic bacteria. The results indicate that UV light or UV in combination with ozone was effective in reducing pathogenic E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria on surfaces of fresh beef without impairing fresh beef quality, while reducing water and energy usage. UV light and UV in combination with ozone may provide meat processors additional technologies to improve the safety of beef products.

Technical Abstract: This research study was conducted to evaluate treatments with UVC light and a combination of UVC and ozone that have recently received attention from the beef processing industry as antimicrobial interventions that leave no chemical residues on products. The effectiveness of UVC and UVC plus gaseous ozone treatments was evaluated for inactivation of pathogenic bacteria on fresh beef and for any impact on fresh beef quality. Fresh beef tissues were inoculated with cocktails of Shiga toxin– producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains (serotypes O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, O145, and O157:H7), Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes. Inoculated fresh beef tissues were subjected to UVC or UVC-ozone treatments at 106 to 590 mJ/cm2. UVC treatment alone or in combination with ozone reduced populations of STEC, Salmonella, L. monocytogenes, and aerobic bacteria from 0.86 to 1.49, 0.76 to 1.33, 0.5 to 1.14, and 0.64 to 1.23 log CFU, respectively. Gaseous ozone alone reduced populations of E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and L. monocytogenes by 0.65, 0.70, and 0.33 log CFU, respectively. Decimal reduction times (D-values) for STEC serotypes, Salmonella, and L. monocytogenes on surfaces of fresh beef indicated that the UVC-ozone treatment was more effective (P<=0.05) than UVC light alone for reducing pathogens on the surface of fresh beef. Exposure to UVC or UVC plus gaseous ozone did not have a deleterious effect on fresh meat color and did not accelerate the formation of oxidative rancidity. These findings suggest that UVC and UVC in combination with gaseous ozone can be useful for enhancing the microbial safety of fresh beef without impairing fresh beef quality.