Mathematical Modeling Used to Evaluate the Effect of UV-C Light Treatment on Microorganisms in Liquid Foods

Abstract

Ultraviolet-C light is a novel technology widely used for disinfecting water and surfaces. However, today, it is used for the pasteurization of food product since it was approved by the FDA as a fruit juice pasteurization method. Juices, nectars, beverages, milk, and even liquid egg products are fluid foods demanded by consumers as a source of biomolecules such as proteins and health-promoting compounds required for a well-balanced diet. These products have been processed with UV-C light to inactivate native, spoilage, and pathogenic microorganisms. Mathematical modeling is an invaluable tool to understand the effect of different factors on the inactivation of microorganisms by UV-C light. In this sense, linear and non-linear models have been used for fitting survival curves since they provide an idea of how efficiently UV-C light inactivates microorganisms. Thus, this review offers an updated overview of the main factors that affect the microbial inactivation by UV-C light in liquid foods, the mathematical models used for evaluating the UV-C light effect on such products, the different mathematical approaches used until now for describing microbial inactivation by UV-C light, and some outlook for future research about UV-C light processing on liquid food products.