Pulsed Xenon light disinfection performance in food processing environments

预防由病原体污染引起的食源性疾病是一个持续关注的问题。虽然食品加工设备会定期清洗和消毒，但可能会遗漏某些斑点，这可能会造成污染。过去，杀菌紫外线(UV)用于食品消毒的研究取得了令人振奋的结果。然而，一种名为脉冲氙灯(PX)的新紫外线技术受到的关注要少得多。PX技术具有某些潜在的优势，例如更紧凑的形状、更高的功率输出，以及传统紫外线灯使用的汞的缺乏。合作伙伴组织Solaris消毒有限公司已经开发出目前在医院用于病原体控制的PX消毒系统，他们希望详细研究PX消毒系统在食品加工环境中的潜在应用，以进行产品开发和提炼。因此，该项目将在模拟食品加工条件下(如在水和有机污染材料存在的情况下)检查PX系统的有效性。对消毒机制及其影响因素的研究将为合作伙伴提供科学依据，以便在必要时修改其设计，并将其应用于食品加工行业。相信PX系统在食品加工中的应用将有助于减少或消除设备表面的潜在污染，从而进一步提高加拿大的食品安全。

The prevention of food borne illness due to contamination by pathogens is an ongoing concern. Although food processing equipment is routinely cleaned and disinfected, it is possible to miss certain spots and this allows for possible contamination. Germicidal ultraviolet (UV) light has been studied for use in disinfecting food products in the past, with promising results. However, a new UV technology called Pulsed Xenon (PX) flash lamps has received much less attention. PX technologies have certain potential advantages, such as more compact shapes, high power output, and the lack of mercury that traditional UV lamps use. The partner organization, Solaris Disinfection Ltd., has developed PX disinfection systems that are currently used in hospitals for pathogen control, and it is their desire that the potential application in food processing environments be studied in detail for product development and refinement.Therefore, this project will examine the efficacy of the PX system under conditions simulating those in food processing, such as in the presence of water and organic soiling materials. Studies on the mechanisms of disinfection, as well as the factors that impact it, will provide the partner with the scientific basis to modify their designs if necessary, and to apply them in the food processing industry. It is believed that the application of PX systems in food processing will help to reduce or eliminate potential contamination by equipment surfaces, thus further improving Canadian food safety.