Photodynamic treatment using riboflavin and blue light demonstrates significant microbial reduction in betel leaves, suggesting enhanced safety and quality.
This study evaluated the effectiveness of photodynamic treatment (PDT) using riboflavin (Rbf) and blue light-emitting diode (BL) irradiation for microbial inactivation and quality preservation in fresh betel leaves (Piper betle L.). Non-pathogenic surrogates Escherichia coli K-12 and Listeria innocua were used to model Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The combined Rbf-BL treatment significantly reduced microbial populations by up to 5.3 log CFU/g for E. coli and 6.2 log CFU/g for L. innocua on leaf surfaces (p < 0.05) and 1.3–1.5 log CFU/mL in broth cultures. Treated samples showed significantly higher total soluble solids (12.0 ± 0.0 °Brix), total phenolic content (0.17 ± 0.02 mmol GAE/g, p < 0.05), and antioxidant activity (62.0 ± 3.1% DPPH inhibition, p < 0.05), with minimal color alteration after treatment (ΔE = 4.68). The total fluence measured at the leaf surface was approximately 11.72 J/cm2. As a mild thermal treatment utilizing a GRAS photosensitizer, riboflavin-assisted PDT presents a promising strategy for enhancing microbial safety and promoting phytochemical quality in betel leaves.
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Rinpan et al. (2025) studied this question.
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