Exposure to ultraviolet radiation is a treatment that can kill any pathogenic and unhealthy microorganisms on food. Alba Mery Garzon Garcia, Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology at the National University of Colombia (UNAL), Palmira Campus, has been researching the disinfection of mangoes using this technique.
"The research was carried out within the framework of my doctoral studies. I focused on mango and carried out a treatment with ultraviolet radiation, which decreased the microbial load on the product," Garzon stated.
"The research tests were carried out at the National University of Colombia and at the University of Sonora in Mexico, as the latter has more experience in microbiology. We included a new component that hasn't been included in the country before, simulating the conditions of the equipment to see the incidence of ultraviolet radiation in the product," she added.
The researchers analyzed how the procedure affected the mango and its quality and discovered that it increased its shelf life in storage by two to three days. "This is the first food disinfection study of this kind in Colombia. Its application can be scaled to the value chain to ensure safety," she said.
Source: agronegocios.co