Efficacy of UV-C LED Irradiation in Reducing Foodborne Pathogenic Contamination on Japanese Quail Eggs

Öz

This study investigated the efficacy of ultraviolet-C (UV-C) irradiation in reducing surface contamination of Salmonella Typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli on Japanese quail eggshells. A total of 24 eggs were used; among them, six were analyzed to determine the baseline microbial load on the eggshell surface, while the remaining 18 were artificially inoculated and subjected to UV-C treatment using a commercial LED-based sterilization box at two exposure durations: 1 minute (27.24 mJ/cm²) and 3 minutes (81.72 mJ/cm²). The initial microbial loads on untreated quail eggs were 5.04 ± 0.49 log10 CFU/eggshell for total mesophilic aerobic bacteria and 2.31 ± 1.29 log10 CFU/eggshell for total coliforms. Microbial enumeration revealed a significant, dose dependent reduction in pathogen loads (p < 0.05). A 1-minute treatment resulted in around 3 log reductions for all pathogens, while the 3-minute treatment achieved up to 4.5 log reductions, particularly for E. coli and S. Typhimurium. These findings suggest that UV-C irradiation is a promising, non-thermal, and residue-free intervention to improve the microbial safety of quail eggs, though surface structure and exposure geometry remain critical factors for optimization.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Escherichia coli
• Listeria monocytogenes
• microbial reduction
• Salmonella typhimurium
• UV-C irradiation

Japon Bıldırcın Yumurtalarında Gıda Kaynaklı Patojenik Kontaminasyonun Azaltılmasinda UV-C Led Işınlamasının Etkinliği

Öz

Bu çalışma, ultraviyole-C (UV-C) ışınımının Japon bıldırcın yumurtalarının kabuk yüzeyinde Salmonella Typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes ve Escherichia coli kontaminasyonunu azaltmadaki etkinliğini araştırmıştır. Toplamda 24 yumurta kullanılmıştır; bunlardan altısı yumurta kabuğu üzerindeki başlangıç mikrobiyal yükü belirlemek için analiz edilmiş, geri kalan 18’i ise patojenlerle kontamine edilerek ticari bir LED tabanlı sterilizatör ile UV-C uygulamasına tabi tutulmuştur. UV-C uygulaması iki farklı süreyle gerçekleştirilmiştir: 1 dakika (27,24 mJ/cm²) ve 3 dakika (81,72 mJ/cm²). UV-C uygulanmamış bıldırcın yumurtalarında başlangıçta belirlenen mikrobiyal yük, toplam mezofilik aerobik bakteri için 5,04 ± 0,49 log10 CFU/yumurta kabuğu ve toplam koliform bakteriler için 2,31 ± 1,29 log10 CFU/yumurta kabuğu olarak tespit edilmiştir. Mikrobiyal sayımlar, patojen yüklerinde anlamlı ve doza bağlı bir azalma olduğunu göstermiştir (P < ,05). Bir dakikalık uygulama tüm patojenler için yaklaşık 3,0 log10 azalma sağlarken, 3 dakikalık uygulama özellikle E. coli ve S. typhimurium için 4,5 log10’a kadar azalma elde edilmesini sağlamıştır. Bu bulgular, UV-C ışınımının bıldırcın yumurtalarının mikrobiyal güvenliğini artırmak için umut vadeden, ısıl olmayan ve kalıntı bırakmayan bir müdahale yöntemi olduğunu göstermektedir. Ancak yüzey yapısı ve ışığın yüzeye ulaşma geometrisi gibi etkenlerin, etkinliğin optimize edilmesinde kritik öneme sahip olduğu da unutulmamalıdır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Escherichia coli
• Listeria monocytogenes
• mikrobiyal azalım
• Salmonella typhimurium

Kaynakça

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