Physical Properties of Fe3+/TiO2 Nanoparticles and Photocatalytic Disinfection of Foodborne Microorganisms

Abstract

In this article, we studied the preparation of Fe3+/TiO2 nanoparticles and the photocatalytic disinfection effects of two typical foodborne microorganisms, a gram-negative bacterium (Salmonella typhimurium) and a gram-positive bacterium (Listeria monocytogenes), in meat products. The physical properties of Fe3+/TiO2 nanoparticles embedded with various levels of Fe3+ (0%–10%) and synthesized through an impregnation process were investigated using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and UV-vis spectrophotometer, and their photocatalytic activities were evaluated by measuring the degradation of methylene blue dye and the disinfection of foodborne pathogens S. typhimurium and L. monocytogenes under visible light and UV light. Fe3+ ions were found to be scattered across TiO2 surfaces or across TiO2 crystal lattices as microcrystals. However, the capacity for TiO2 nanoparticles to absorb visible light was significantly enhanced after they were embedded with.Fe3+/TiO2 nanoparticles with molar ratios (R) of Fe3+ to TiO2 of 0.001:1, 0.005:1, and 0.01:1 exhibited higher levels of methylene blue dye photocatalytic degradation and higher levels of foodborne pathogen photocatalytic disinfection than the TiO2 control. However, nanoparticles containing >1% Fe3+ exhibited lower levels of photocatalytic activity than the TiO2 control. Salmonella typhimurium was more resistant to the nano-Fe3+/TiO2 treatment than L. monocytogenes under visible and UV light conditions. These experiments demonstrate that embedding Fe3+ in TiO2 nanoparticles does not remarkably influence the TiO2 nanoparticle size or structure. Embedding appropriate levels of Fe3+ content (0.1%–1%) can enhance the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanoparticles.