Abstract
Modifications of a commercial 2,450-megahertz microwave oven were made so that 6 ml of microbial suspension could be exposed to the microwave field for various periods of time. The microorganisms were contained in the central tube of a modified Liebig condenser positioned in the approximate geometric center of the oven cavity. Kerosene at -25 C was circulated through the jacket of the condenser during microwave exposure permitting microwaves to reach the microbial suspension. Flow rates of the kerosene were varied to permit the temperature of the suspension to range from 25 to 55 C during microwave exposure. Conductive heating experiments using similar temperatures were also conducted. A thermocouple-relay system was employed to measure the suspension temperature immediately after the magnetron shutoff. Continuous application of microwaves to suspensions of 108 to 109 Streptococcus faecalis or Saccharomyces cerevisiae per ml appeared to produce no lethal effects other than those produced by heat. Respiration rates of microwave-exposed Scerevisiae were directly related to decreases in viable count produced by increased microwave exposure times.
Full text
PDF
Images in this article
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Goldblith S. A. Basic principles of microwaves and recent developments. Adv Food Res. 1966;15:277–301. doi: 10.1016/s0065-2628(08)60082-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Goldblith S. A., Wang D. I. Effect of Microwaves on Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. Appl Microbiol. 1967 Nov;15(6):1371–1375. doi: 10.1128/am.15.6.1371-1375.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lacey B. A., Winner H. I., McLellan M. E., Bagshawe K. D. Effects of microwave cookery on the bacterial counts of food. J Appl Bacteriol. 1965 Aug;28(2):331–335. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1965.tb02161.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]