12 Thank You for Your Trust & Time, Since 1999 Better Farming | January 2025 Research & Farm Science Fungal contamination of cereal grains poses a substantial threat to food security and public health while causing hundreds of millions of dollars in economic losses annually. In a new study, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign evaluated farultraviolet C (far-UVC) light as a safe way to alleviate fungal contamination of corn and wheat and found this technology to be effective. “Light-based technology is easy to use, and the cost is minimal compared to many other methods. However, conventional UVC lamps emit light at a wavelength of 254 nanometers, which can cause skin or eye damage to humans, so it’s not safe to use when workers or consumers are around,” said study co-author Yi-Cheng Wang, an assistant professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at Illinois. “So instead, we are using a technology called microplasma-based farUVC light. It emits light at 222 nanometers, a wavelength other studies have found to be safe for humans, even at prolonged exposure. We wanted to see if it can also be used to mitigate fungal contamination.” Conventional 254-nanometer light disinfection works by damaging cells’ DNA, whereas the shorter 222-nanometer wavelength is mainly absorbed by peptide bonds and amino acids. Wang said this means far-UVC causes cell damage to microorganisms, but cannot penetrate humans’ outermost layer of dead skin cells or the tear layer of their eyes, and thus poses no threat to them. Wang and lead author Zhenhui Jin, a recent graduate of FSHN’s doctoral program, tested the efficacy of farUVC light against two fungi, Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium graminearum. Both fungi affect grains in the field; they can lead to substantial losses in grain quality and produce mycotoxins that threaten human and animal health. First, the researchers suspended the fungi’s spores in a liquid buffer and treated them with various doses GRAIN SAFETY GOES HIGH-TECH Far-UVC light battles fungal contamination. By Marianne Stein Zhenhui Jin tested the efficacy of UVC light against fungi. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign photo
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