A review on the application of UV‐C treatment on food and food surfaces: association with food microbiology, predictive microbiology and quantitative microbial risk assessment

Abstract

SummaryThe so‐called emerging technologies have gained prominence in the field of food processing, compared to conventional heat treatments, due to technological, sensorial and microbiological safety benefits. Ultraviolet radiation (UV), more specifically UV‐C radiation, is inexpensive and has been one of the most studied technologies. This work seeks to summarise the application of UV‐C treatment, contextualising its efficiency in the inactivation of microorganisms in different food matrices and surfaces associated with food handling and allowing the visualisation of trends in the combination of UV‐C radiation with other technologies. Still, the technology is related to quantitative tools associated with food microbiology. Factors related to processing parameters, characteristics of the microbial population and food properties have a direct influence on the effectiveness of UV‐C technology. The UV‐C treatment parameters must be rigorously defined, considering the particularities of each food matrix, so that undesirable identity or sensory changes do not occur. The application of mathematical tools, such as predictive microbiology and quantitative microbial risk assessment, is fundamental in the planning and definition of processing parameters for UV‐C radiation technology.