• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.36 no.5
• /
• pp.447-453
• /
• 2021

In this study, the effectiveness of physical control technology, a combined light sterilization (LED, UV) and hot water treatment in reducing Aspergillus ochraceus for food production environment was investigated. In brief, 1 mL aliquot of A. ochraceus spore suspension (10^7-8 spore/mL) was inoculated onto stainless steel chips, which was then dried at 37℃, and each was subjected to different physical treatment. Treatments were performed for 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 8, and 11 hours to reduce the strains using a light-emitting diode, but no significant difference was confirmed among the treatments. However, a significant reduction was observed on the chips treated with UV-C exposure and hot water immersion. After being treated solely with 360 kJ/m² of UV-C on stainless steel chip, the fungi were significantly reduced to 1.27 log CFU/cm². Concerning the hot water treatment, the initial inoculum amount of 6.49 log CFU/cm² was entirely killed by immersion in 83℃ water for 5 minutes. Maintaining a high temperature for 5 minutes at the site is difficult. Thus, considering economic feasibility and usability, we attempted to confirm the appropriate A. ochraceus reduction conditions by combining a relatively low temperature of 60℃ and UV rays. With the combined treatments, even in lukewarm water, A. ochraceus decreased significantly through the increases in the immersion time and the amount of UV-C irradiation, and the yield was below the detection limit. Based on these results, if work tools are immersed in 60℃ lukewarm water for 3 minutes and then placed in a UV sterilization device for more than 10 minutes, the possibility of A. ochraceus cross-contamination during work is expected to be reduced.