Liquid egg white pasteurization using a centrifugal UV irradiator

Studies are limited on UV nonthermal pasteurization of liquid egg white (LEW). The objective of this study was to inactivate Escherichia coli using a UV irradiator that centrifugally formed a thin film of LEW on the inside of a rotating cylinder. The LEW was inoculated with E. coli K12 to approximately 8 log cfu/ml and was processed at the following conditions: UV intensity 1.5 to 9.0 mW/cm2; cylinder rotational speed 450 to 750 RPM, cylinder inclination angle 15° to 45°, and flow rate 300 to 900 ml/min, and treatment time 1.1 to 3.2 s. Appropriate dilutions of the samples were pourplated with tryptic soy agar (TSA). Sublethal injury was determined using TSA + 4% NaCl. The regrowth of surviving E. coli during refrigerated storage for 28 days was investigated. The electrical energy of the UV process was also determined. The results demonstrated that UV processing of LEW at a dose of 29 mJ/cm2 at 10 °C reduced E. coli by 5 log cfu/ml. Inactivation significantly increased with increasing UV dose and decreasing flow rate. The results at cylinder inclination angles of 30° and 45° were similar and were significantly better than those at 15°. The cylinder rotational speed had no significant effect on inactivation. The occurrence of sublethal injury was detected. Storage of UV processed LEW at 4° and 10 °C for 21 days further reduced the population of E. coli to approximately 1 log cfu/ml where it remained for an additional 7 days. The UV energy applied to the LEW to obtain a 5 log reduction of E. coli was 3.9 J/ml. These results suggest that LEW may be efficiently pasteurized, albeit at low flow rates, using a nonthermal UV device that centrifugally forms a thin film.

► A centrifugal UV irradiator nonthermally inactivated E. coli in liquid egg white.
► The centrifugal irradiator formed a very thin film of liquid egg white which is conducive to UV treatment.
► E. coli was reduced by 5 log at a dose of 29 mJ/cm2 at 10 °C.
► Treatment took 3.2 s and only required 3.9 J/ml of energy.
► Liquid egg white can be nonthermally pasteurized using a UV centrifugal irradiator.