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2026
Anna Angela Barba; Gaetano Lamberti
Improving the Microbiological Safety of Raw Meat Through Visible Blue–Violet Light Irradiation Journal Article
In: Foods, vol. 15, iss. 4, 2026.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: blue–violet LED, microbiological safety, non-thermal food preservation processes, post-processing contamination control, raw meat handling, visible-light irradiation
@article{Barba2026,
title = {Improving the Microbiological Safety of Raw Meat Through Visible Blue\textendashViolet Light Irradiation},
author = {Anna Angela Barba and Gaetano Lamberti},
editor = {Hao Feng},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/15/4/690/pdf?version=1770978456},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15040690},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-02-13},
urldate = {2026-02-13},
journal = {Foods},
volume = {15},
issue = {4},
abstract = {The interruption of primary conservation procedures during food handling and preparation represents a critical operational phase for food microbiological safety, especially in environments characterized by repeated manipulation and continuous human presence. This study investigates the application of visible blue\textendashviolet light irradiation as a non-thermal process to mitigate microbial proliferation during post-processing handling of raw meat. Raw beef hamburgers, selected as the food model substrate, were subjected to irradiation using a blue\textendashviolet LED system operating in the 405\textendash420 nm range and compared with non-irradiated controls under ambient and refrigerated conditions representative of real handling scenarios. Microbiological dynamics were evaluated through time-resolved enumeration of total aerobic mesophilic bacteria and Enterobacteriaceae, while concurrent measurements of moisture loss, texture, and color were performed to assess process-related effects on macroscopic product quality. Visible-light irradiation significantly reduced the rate of microbial growth during handling, with irradiated samples consistently exhibiting lower microbial loads than controls, particularly under ambient conditions (e.g., twofold after 24 h). Under refrigeration, irradiation contributed to stabilizing microbial levels over time, indicating a synergistic effect with low-temperature storage. From a process perspective, irradiation induced moderate and progressive changes in physicochemical attributes, primarily associated with surface dehydration and color variation, without abrupt quality degradation. These results demonstrate that visible blue\textendashviolet light irradiation can be integrated as a continuous, non-UV intervention to enhance the microbiological safety of raw meat during post-processing handling, supporting its potential role as an environmental control strategy in food-handling systems.},
keywords = {blue\textendashviolet LED, microbiological safety, non-thermal food preservation processes, post-processing contamination control, raw meat handling, visible-light irradiation},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The interruption of primary conservation procedures during food handling and preparation represents a critical operational phase for food microbiological safety, especially in environments characterized by repeated manipulation and continuous human presence. This study investigates the application of visible blue–violet light irradiation as a non-thermal process to mitigate microbial proliferation during post-processing handling of raw meat. Raw beef hamburgers, selected as the food model substrate, were subjected to irradiation using a blue–violet LED system operating in the 405–420 nm range and compared with non-irradiated controls under ambient and refrigerated conditions representative of real handling scenarios. Microbiological dynamics were evaluated through time-resolved enumeration of total aerobic mesophilic bacteria and Enterobacteriaceae, while concurrent measurements of moisture loss, texture, and color were performed to assess process-related effects on macroscopic product quality. Visible-light irradiation significantly reduced the rate of microbial growth during handling, with irradiated samples consistently exhibiting lower microbial loads than controls, particularly under ambient conditions (e.g., twofold after 24 h). Under refrigeration, irradiation contributed to stabilizing microbial levels over time, indicating a synergistic effect with low-temperature storage. From a process perspective, irradiation induced moderate and progressive changes in physicochemical attributes, primarily associated with surface dehydration and color variation, without abrupt quality degradation. These results demonstrate that visible blue–violet light irradiation can be integrated as a continuous, non-UV intervention to enhance the microbiological safety of raw meat during post-processing handling, supporting its potential role as an environmental control strategy in food-handling systems.