Development of a microwave treatment technique for bacterial decontamination of raw meat

The present study developed and verified a 'cold' microwave (MW) treatment that could lead to the inactivation of two common pathogenic species of bacteria, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, in raw meats. A number of experimental conditions were designed and tested to maximise MW exposure without overheating the samples. The non-thermal effect was maximised by multiple exposure to attain efficient MW threshold intensities. It was shown that at sub-lethal temperatures repeated exposure using high frequency MW radiation was significantly more effective in decontaminating bacteria in raw meats compared to a single exposure. It was concluded that non thermal inactivation of pathogenic bacteria in raw meats could be achieved at defined conditions using high frequency MW radiation.