Abstract
The kinetics of microbial inactivation by microwave irradiation were studied from the viewpoint of thermal inactivation analysis. From the temperature history of a microbial suspension during irradiation, a thermal inactivation curve was predicted. The predicted curves were similar to experimentally produced curves by irradiation at various energy outputs, showing that the inactivation was predominantly due to the heat induced by irradiation. On the other hand, a small difference in the inactivation rate between the curves was observed at a high output. This implied the possible existence of nonthermal factors in irradiation lethality.
