Nonthermal sterilization of pathogenic Escherichia coli by intense pulsed light using a batch system

Abstract

Intense pulsed light (IPL), a nonthermal technology, has attracted increasing interest as a food processing technology. However, its efficacy in inactivating microorganisms has not been evaluated thoroughly. In this study, we investigated the influence of IPL treatment on the inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 depending on light intensity, treatment time, and pulse number. Increased light intensity from 500 V to 1,000 V, raised the inactivation rate at room temperature. At 1000 V, the cell numbers were reduced by 7.1 log cycles within 120 s. In addition, increased pulse number or decreased distance between the light source and sample surface also led to an increase in the inactivation rate. IPL exposure caused a significant increase in the absorption at 260 nm of the suspending agent used in our experiments. This indicates that IPL-treated cells were damaged, consequently releasing intracellular materials. The growth of IPL-irradiated cells were delayed by about 5 h. The degree of damage to the cells after IPL treatment was confimed by transmission electron microscopy.