Deep-Ultraviolet Light Emitting Chips for Food Safety

In the food industry, the common techniques used to disinfect foods are mostly categorized into thermal and non-thermal processes. Thermal processes are known to affect the nutritional and sensory characteristics of the food. Therefore, non-thermal processing techniques i.e., ultrasonic, pulsed electric fields, high pressure, and UV light are getting more popular. Out of these techniques, UVC disinfection (250-280 nm) using mercury lamps is an emerging technology for disinfection in the food industry since it cannot be overdosed, does not generate by-products and possess no safety hazards. UVC disinfection is a physical process that kills bacteria, viruses, and other microbes by directly disrupting the molecular bonds that hold their DNA together. Theses UVC exposed microbes completely lose their reproductivity and are destroyed completely. Interestingly, this is still not a popular disinfection technique used in food industries because of the issues related to the safety (presence of toxic mercury), high cost and low penetration depth of UV light in a different physical medium.

To overcome these issues, we have developed a novel mercury-free deep-UV light chips based on on-chip cathodoluminescence having an emission spectrum coinciding with the germicidal effectiveness curve. Our deep-UV chips offer ultrahigh germicidal reduction, immediate start-up, low maintenance, instant ON/OFF capability, high operational lifetimes, work efficiently both at low and high temperatures and are smaller in size providing complete design freedom. We believe our technology will be promising for the disinfection in food industries by treating the food contact surfaces and by extending the shelf-life of fresh produce.