Removes 99.9% of Norovirus from Kimchi Factories

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] A technology has been developed that removes norovirus in aerosol form from the air using a photocatalyst-based ultraviolet light-emitting diode.

The research team led by Dr. Ha Ji-hyung at the Hygiene Safety Analysis Center of the World Kimchi Research Institute announced on the 16th that they developed a technology that effectively controls norovirus by spraying aerosols containing norovirus particles sized 1 to 5 micrometers (?m) into the air, adsorbing them onto a titanium dioxide-copper photocatalyst filter surface, and then irradiating with a UVA-LED light source.

Norovirus is a type of virus that causes acute gastroenteritis. In kimchi manufacturing sites, there is no separate sterilization process, making it a virus often identified as the cause in food poisoning incidents.

The research team stated that this technology provides a foundation to effectively block airborne norovirus transmissible in kimchi manufacturing sites, thereby securing the hygiene safety of kimchi.

Choi Hak-jong, Acting Director of the World Kimchi Research Institute, said, "We will continue to promote research on field-customized microbial control technologies for kimchi safety and quality management."

Meanwhile, the results of this study were recently published in the international journal Comprehensive Environmental Science.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.