Progress of pulsed light sterilization technology in the food field

Abstract

In recent years, the rate of disease outbreaks caused by food-borne microorganisms is gradually increasing. The abuse of food preservatives has not only caused environmental problems, but also led to the gradual increase in the resistance of bacteria. As a non-thermal physical sterilization technology, pulsed light sterilization has attracted more and more attention in the field of food sterilization. Traditional heat sterilization will destroy the quality of food and cannot be used for preservation of fruits and vegetables. Chemical reagents will cause environmental problems. The pulsed light sterilization technology has the advantages of low cost, pollution-free, safe and efficient, and will not damage food quality. It can be perfectly applied in the field of food sterilization. Pulsed light can also be used in combination with other sterilization technologies. For example, the combined application of pectin coating and UV sterilization technology to treat food will achieve better results. The research on pulsed light sterilization at home and abroad is mainly based on the application in food sterilization. This article describes the mechanism of pulsed light sterilization, introduces the application examples of pulsed light sterilization in the food field, and discusses the impact on food quality.