FACTORS AFFECTING MICROWAVE-HEATING OF FOODS AND MICROWAVE-INDUCED DESTRUCTION OF FOODBORNE PATHOGENS - A REVIEW

In the 30 year time period that microwave ovens have been used in hous eholds, several studies have examined variables that influence tempera tures and bacterial destruction achieved in foods heated by microwave energy. Factors of primary importance include both physical and chemic al (product mass, density, specific heat, ionic content, dielectric pr operties) parameters. The majority of evidence indicates that microwav es inactivate microbes by thermal effects alone. Concern about the saf ety of microwave-heated foods has arisen because of the abbreviated th ermal treatment that microwave heating affords, the potential for temp erature abuse of microwavable products, and the risk of pathogen survi val in foodservice cook/chill foods. Foodborne pathogens such as Liste ria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella spp. have been the focus of most studies of microwavable food safety, primarily beca use of their ubiquitous nature and prevalence in causing illness. The practical implications of the findings of both basic and applied studi es of bacterial destruction within microwave-heated products are exami ned.