Influence of Microwave Radiation on Psychrotrophic Bacteria .

Journal of food protection · 1980 · Benefit · Low evidence

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BenefitLow evidencePaper 6040

Study snapshot

PublicationJournal of food protection · 1980

Study typeother

Reported directionBenefit

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Pure cultures of bacteria in nutrient broth at 10 or 10 organisms/ml and various raw meat products were exposed to either 915 or 2450 MHz microwaves. After various timed exposures, temperature increases were noted and samples were removed for plate-count determination of survivors. In nutrient broth, all psychrotrophic bacteria counts were dramatically reduced by short exposure (5 to 20 sec) to microwave radiation. In some instances, initial counts of 10 to 10/ml were reduced to zero after 15 sec of microwave exposure and a temperature of 60 C. Moraxella-acinetobacter (MA-3), Serratia marcescens , Pseudomonas synthaxa , and Alcaligenes viscolactis were extremely susceptible to the microwave treatments. When raw poultry parts, with initial total counts of 10/cm of surface area, were exposed to microwave radiation, organisms were reduced by 1 log cycle in 20 sec and by 2 log cycles in 40 sec. Total counts on microwave-treated chicken skin were reduced from 10/cm to 10/cm in 30 sec. Refrigerated storage of microwave-treated chicken parts indicated that such treatment could substantially increase shelf life.

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeother

Effect directionbenefit

PopulationNot supplied

Sample sizeNot supplied

Exposuremicrowave · 5–40 sec (various timed exposures)

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Pure cultures of psychrotrophic bacteria in nutrient broth showed dramatic reductions in counts after short microwave exposures (5–20 sec); in some cases initial counts were reduced to zero after 15 sec with a reported temperature of 60°C. Raw poultry parts and chicken skin showed reductions in total counts (e.g., 1 log in 20 sec; 2 logs in 40 sec; and reductions reported after 30 sec), and refrigerated storage of microwave-treated chicken parts suggested increased shelf life.

Outcomes measured

Bacterial survival (plate-count survivors)
Bacterial counts/log reductions in nutrient broth and raw meat products
Temperature increase during exposure
Shelf life during refrigerated storage (raw poultry parts)

Limitations

No sample sizes reported in the abstract.
Exposure conditions beyond frequency (e.g., power, field strength, SAR) are not provided in the abstract.
Temperature increases occurred during exposure, making it unclear whether effects are thermal vs non-thermal.
Study is on bacteria/food products rather than human health outcomes.

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "other",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "microwave",
    "source": "microwave",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "5–40 sec (various timed exposures)"
  },
  "population": null,
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Bacterial survival (plate-count survivors)",
    "Bacterial counts/log reductions in nutrient broth and raw meat products",
    "Temperature increase during exposure",
    "Shelf life during refrigerated storage (raw poultry parts)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Pure cultures of psychrotrophic bacteria in nutrient broth showed dramatic reductions in counts after short microwave exposures (5–20 sec); in some cases initial counts were reduced to zero after 15 sec with a reported temperature of 60°C. Raw poultry parts and chicken skin showed reductions in total counts (e.g., 1 log in 20 sec; 2 logs in 40 sec; and reductions reported after 30 sec), and refrigerated storage of microwave-treated chicken parts suggested increased shelf life.",
  "effect_direction": "benefit",
  "limitations": [
    "No sample sizes reported in the abstract.",
    "Exposure conditions beyond frequency (e.g., power, field strength, SAR) are not provided in the abstract.",
    "Temperature increases occurred during exposure, making it unclear whether effects are thermal vs non-thermal.",
    "Study is on bacteria/food products rather than human health outcomes."
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "microwave radiation",
    "915 MHz",
    "2450 MHz",
    "psychrotrophic bacteria",
    "raw poultry",
    "chicken skin",
    "plate count",
    "temperature increase",
    "shelf life"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.4315/0362-028x-43.8.651
PubMed: 30822979

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