Inactivation of Escherichia coli K-12 in liquid egg white by a flow-through pulsed UV light treatment system

Unpasteurized liquid egg can be contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms and may cause foodborne outbreaks. Thus, it is essential to decontaminate the liquid egg to ensure food safety. Pulsed UV light is one of the emerging technologies for food decontamination in recent years. This static treatment system has been studied previously in our laboratory. However, continuous processing using a flow-through treatment system needs to be evaluated for potential commercial applications. Therefore, in this study, a flow-through treatment system of pulsed UV light was evaluated and optimized for inactivation of Escherichia coli K12NSR for liquid egg white decontamination. Treatment factors including flow rate (40 to 80 mL/min), number of passes (one to three passes), and distance from the sample to the pulsed UV light strobe (5 to 13 cm) were optimized using response surface methodology. This methodology suggested three passes with 40 mL/min flow rate and a 5-cm distance as the optimum conditions. The model was then validated for the maximum reduction of E. coli K12NSR, which was measured as 1.57 log CFU/mL at the optimal conditions. The energy doses of the pulsed UV light and temperature changes of the liquid egg white during the treatment were measured. Furthermore, several quality parameters were assessed at the optimum treatment conditions to determine the impact of the flow-through pulsed UV processing on the quality of liquid egg white. The results showed significant differences in pH, lipid oxidation, turbidity, and color between control and pulsed UV light–treated samples (P, 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in foaming ability or foam stability between pulsed UV light–treated samples and the control. Overall, this study demonstrated the potential of flow-through pulsed UV light to decontaminate liquid egg white, but further research is needed for optimal enhancement.