Ultraviolet processing of liquid food: A review Part 2: Effects on microorganisms and on food components and properties

The effectiveness of ultraviolet irradiation in inactivating microorganisms has been known for decades. Nevertheless, in the processing of foodstuff other important issues must be considered, such as organoleptic or nutritional properties preservation. Ultraviolet irradiation constitutes an alternative to thermal treatment that is being studied and developed to obtain a better final product sensory quality, but without neglecting microbial safety. Moreover, it has been proved that this technology can be useful to decompose some toxins that are not affected by thermal processing. In this piece of work, the effect of UV irradiation on all of these contaminants and components of liquid food has been reviewed. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.