Microwaves: An Alternative Bacterial Sterilization Technique?

Abstract

Sterilization is defined as a process which eliminates all forms of life, such as bacteria, fungi, spores, viruses, etc. present on surfaces, contained in fluids or in any compound such as a culture media. Microwaves are non-ionizing radiations which heat food using the principle of dielectric heating. The same principle can be applied for the sterilization of microorganisms in culture media. A conventional microwave ovesn was used to study the effects of microwave radiations on survival of microorganisms. E. coli and Bacillus subtilis strains were selected for the study. It was observed that the use of microwave radiations were effective in reducing the time required for killing the cultures under study. However, a shielding effect was observed in presence of organic compounds, where a higher intensity or increased exposure time was required to kill the culture.