A new research claims that a violet light has the ability to kill salmonella bacteria in refrigerators. Ultraviolet (UV) light was already proven to have antimicrobial property based on recent journals; however, it has been linked to harmful effects including cancer and mutation.
Despite the reported harmful effects of UV lights, the recent research provides a more precise use of the violet light. According to Digital Trends, scientists from Singapore have utilized violet light in disinfecting refrigerators. They lit violet LED bulbs on 18 strains of salmonella in the experiment.
Salmonella was utilized increasing the significance and authenticity of the study. The sample bacteria were reported as the second most common culprit of foodborne illnesses in the United States aside from EHEC. It is also the cause of 20,000 hospitalizations and around 400 deaths every year. Salmonella usually thrives in refrigerators and may result to health risk due to food contamination. In general, because of food borne diseases, 1 in 6 Americans gets sick and 128,000 are hospitalized.
Food contamination by salmonella is called Salmonellosis. As reported by WebMD, the symptoms includes; diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. The treatment of salmonellosis is by managing the complications until it subsides. Dehydration is one of the complications of the disease and can be treated by supplementing oral rehydrating solutions. Antibiotics are not needed unless the infection has spread. Through the Violet light, salmonellosis could be prevented.
Furthermore, the Singaporean researchers suggested that violet and blue light is capable of eradicating bacteria linked to food poisoning. However, the study did not assess whether the light is effective on bacteria that has thrived in food already.
The research concerning the violet light or blue light is a meaningful discovery that could lessen the morbidity and mortality cases of food poisoning in the future. The discovery on how much light is needed to cause an antimicrobial effect is still to be determined.
