Inactivation of <i>Escherichia coli</i> K12 by pulsed UV light on goat meat and beef: microbial responses and modelling

Abstract

Summary The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of pulsed UV light (PUVL) in inactivating Escherichia coli K12 on goat meat and beef surfaces. Inactivation studies were conducted for 5 to 60 s at three distances from the light source (4.47, 8.28 and 12.09 cm) in the PUVL chamber. Predictive models using regression and artificial neural networks (ANN) were developed to quantify log reductions. Pulsed UV light was more effective on beef than goat meat. Maximum log reductions of 1.66 and 1.74 CFU mL −1 rinse solution were achieved on goat meat and beef, respectively, at 4.47 cm distance for 60 s. Escherichia coli K12 reduction increased significantly with increasing treatment time and closer distance from the light source. In general, both ANN and regression models effectively described inactivation of E. coli K12. Predictive models describing PUVL inactivation kinetics of E. coli K12 can be used for process optimisation in meat industry.