Pulsed ultraviolet light technology to improve egg safety, help poultry industry
Pulsed ultraviolet light can be an effective alternative to some of the antimicrobial technologies now used by the poultry industry to kill pathogens on eggshells, according to Penn State researchers, who simulated production conditions to test the technology.
Researcher Paul Patterson, professor of poultry science, College of Agricultural Sciences, suggests the technology has merit for commercial application in the egg industry.
“This study is unique because it scaled-up and applied components of standard egg processing to a conveyor and sanitizing eggs in a commercial setting,” he said. “In the absence of water or other chemical sanitizers, this technology has the potential to achieve significant equal or greater microbial reductions than some currently available technologies.”