Blue LED Treatment for Microbial Reduction in Fruit Juices.

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy of blue LED
treatment in inactivating Escherichia coli (ATCC 11775) in fruit juices. The results of the
present study showed that the microbial reduction obtained depends on the material
being processed and a higher reduction was obtained in orange juice as compared to
apple juice. The difference in inactivation could be attributed to varied degree of
absorption of blue light by juice samples. The study also indicated the importance of
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processing material temperature during treatment. This study demonstrated the
bactericidal efficacy of blue LED treatment and their potential as decontamination
strategies in food industry. However, in order to enhance the inactivation efficiency,
improvements in process parameters such as LED intensity & product temperature,
chamber design and combining this process with other methods are to be looked into.