Search

In recent years, demand for minimally processed fresh fruits and vegetables has been increasing. Non-thermal methods are applied to maintain freshness of these foods and to ensure microbiological safety. As a non-thermal technology and alternative to chlorine, UV-C light is used to inactivate microorganisms on the surface of foods. However, the effectiveness of this application is limited due to certain factors such as surface properties of food and low penetration depth of UV-C. Studies on the combined use of UV-C with water, called water assisted UV-C (WUV-C), have been carried out to minimize the effect of these factors. Studies have shown that WUV-C treatment is more effective for the decontamination of microorganisms inoculated onto the surface of food compared to the UV-C system. In this study, the investigations on the use of WUV-C system for decontamination of fresh fruits and vegetables were reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]