Role of UV-C LED Technology in Microbial Risk Management

 For everyone involved, foodborne pathogens are a huge pain. They lead to rotting, disease, and sometimes even death. A foodborne illness-related nuisance lawsuit alone may cost six figures. Elevated temperatures require a lot of energy and may hurt food quality. For this reason, many people use ultraviolet light that kills germs.

UVC not only helps shield food products from foodborne pathogens that cause disease, but it can extend the shelf life of many food items without sacrificing quality. The food industry is becoming more competitive, making it more important than ever to incorporate new technologies and reimagine old ones.

The adoption of UV curing systems, improved performance in comparison to alternative sources, and growing awareness of the need for environmentally safe UV-C LEDs are driving the growth of the UV-C LED market in North America and Asia Pacific. Furthermore, there is significant growth potential in the UV-C LED market in North America and Asia Pacific due to the advancements in aluminum nitride technology, which makes UVC LEDs more efficient and effective. According to a report by Astute Analytica, the North America and Asia Pacific UV-C LED market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 60.2% during the forecast period of 2022–2030.

Role of UVC LED 

• UVC light, which has wavelengths between 200 and 280 nm, has exceptional germicidal qualities that work against a variety of pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, yeasts, molds, fungi, bacteria, viruses, 18–21, 28–29, and so on. These microorganisms cause 600 million foodborne illnesses annually, of which 420,000 result in death.
• Water, air, and, more recently, a variety of surfaces have all been treated with UVC in the past. UVC is a potent, chemical-free tool for hygienic processing operations because of its capacity to disinfect without producing high heat, without creating microbial resistance, without leaving behind chemical residues, and—in the case of LED UVC—without emitting ozone.

Advances in UVC Technology

• The technology of UVC LEDs has advanced remarkably in the last ten years. To be clear, we are not referring to the mass-produced UVC LED wands and boxes for consumers that hit the market after COVID-19. Most of these products lack the power and durability required for commercial applications, and they are unable to consistently produce true UVC wavelengths.
• In the early stages of their development, UVC LEDs were incredibly expensive (think several hundred dollars per diode), had a short useful life, and only produced low power output via high power input.
• Shadowing is a drawback of the technology (conventional or LED) in automated processing applications because UVC light is only effective for pathogens directly in its path. The ease with which UVC can be integrated into food processing processes at various stages, such as receiving, washing, and sorting, or packaging, storing, and transporting, is made possible by the packaging flexibility of LEDs. It can be used directly on the majority of food items (58–68), most surfaces (69–71), wet systems, and items that need to be hosted down.
• The integration of LED technology into portable, lightweight, water- and impact-resistant devices has made it feasible to manually apply industrial-strength UVC, adding this powerful tool to the cleaning and maintenance teams’ toolkit.
• With these quick developments, UVC LED technology is entering a new era of breakthrough applications. UVC LEDs enable enhanced UVC safety, increased effectiveness, increased control, and limitless form factor and application creativity.