Mercury-free food sterilisation
food products as a new mercury-free technology.
Xenon Corp. was granted a contract to partner with Dr. A. Demirci in the US Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, in conjunction with NASA, to investigate the use of pulsed light to sterilise food products, such as meat, fish and vegetables. Currently, chemicals, mercury-emitting lamps or gamma rays are used to kill spores or bacteria on food products, but these techniques may contain toxins or other elements that may prove harmful to health or the environment. The SteriPulse System may prove to be an alternative to irradiation. The ultra high peak power of pulsed light, used in Xenon's SteriPulse method, provides narrow pulses only a few hundred millionths of a second in duration that are 80,000 times brighter than sunlight; powerful enough to kill high levels of all micro-organisms. According to Xenon, the technology is safer by eliminating the need for mercury lamps or gamma rays, and energy efficient because of the ease of penetration of the high peak power, short duration, ultra-violet pulses. Xenon's SteriPulse System effectively destroys inactive microbes such as viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa. According to Lou Panico, CEO of Xenon, the Xenon SteriPulse system is also expected to have far-reaching applications in the areas of optical lenses, pharmaceuticals and aquaculture/farm fisheries.
