Abstract:

Pulsed light was used for surface sterilization of pancake and the effect of pulsed light parameters on the
logarithmic reduction of E. coli on pancake was explored by response surface methodology on the basis of single factor
experiments. A quadratic polynomial model for the logarithmic reduction of E. coli on pancake as a function of pulsed light
parameters was established to analyze the effects of pulse energy, number and distance, and their pairwise interactions.
E. coli on the surface of pancake could be effectively killed by using pulsed light. The pulsed light conditions were
optimized as follows: pulse energy 500 J, pulse number 40, and pulse distance 10.9 cm. Under these conditions, pulsed light
resulted in a reduction of 2.15 logarithmic units for E. coli on pancake, which in turn prolonged the shelf life and improved
the microbiological safety.

Key words: pulsed light, pancake, E. coli, bactericidal effect