Surface UV-C light treatments to prolong the shelf-life of Fiordilatte cheese

The possibility to apply UV-C light technology to control surface contamination and extend the shelf-life of Fiordilatte was investigated. First, cheese was inoculated with Pseudomonas spp., exposed to UV-C light for increasing time up to 750 s to estimate the antimicrobial efficacy of the treatments. UV-C light penetration depth in Fiordilatte was also evaluated. Then, a shelf-life test was carried out on samples exposed to 0.1, 0.6, 1.2 and 6.0 kJ/m2 UV-C light, compared to untreated control cheese. The samples were packaged with brine, stored at 9 °C and analyzed for microbial growth, sensory quality and pH. A germicidal effect of about 1–2 log cycles on Pseudomonas spp. and Enterobacteriaceae was observed during storage. UV-C light did not promote changes in terms of color, texture and surface appearance. With a minimum transmittance inside the product, this treatment showed an interesting surface microbial decontamination that prolonged cheese shelf-life.