Antibacterial LEDs

This solution was shared by PRE-LAUNCH RESEARCH TEAM
14 May 2021

Description of the innovative solution

Food hygiene remains a serious public health issue. There is an urgent need for cheaper and safer disinfectant alternatives to ultraviolet (UV) light and chemicals. The innovation proposes to make use of antimicrobial Light-emitting diode (LED) lights whose LEDs utilize light energy with wavelengths ranging from 200 to 780 nm. These can be at work 24/7, delivering continuous protection and creating an inhospitable environment for microbes. LED lights are cheap, easy to use and offer a longer operational life. LEDs produce an antibacterial effect by photodynamic inactivation due to...

Food hygiene remains a serious public health issue. There is an urgent need for cheaper and safer disinfectant alternatives to ultraviolet (UV) light and chemicals. The innovation proposes to make use of antimicrobial Light-emitting diode (LED) lights whose LEDs utilize light energy with wavelengths ranging from 200 to 780 nm. These can be at work 24/7, delivering continuous protection and creating an inhospitable environment for microbes. LED lights are cheap, easy to use and offer a longer operational life. LEDs produce an antibacterial effect by photodynamic inactivation due to photosensitization of light absorbing compounds in the presence of oxygen and DNA damage.

Show more Show less

Examples and additional resources

Real-world examples

See this solution in action in different contexts and settings around the world

Add example
Sani UV-C
Business information

High-intensity UV-C fixtures designed to mitigate the spread of microbes and deactivate pathogens to ensure safe food and drinking water.

South Africa
Shared by IFSS Research Team
Bacteria Blue
Project information

LEDs using light in the blue spectra that can kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria, holding great potential in medical and food industries.

United States
Shared by IFSS Research Team

Additional resources

Learn more about this solution through studies, articles, business cases, and other information

Add additional resource
Study on efficacy of LEDs
Scientific paper
Scientific paper testing the efficacy of specific wavelengths of LEDs , suggesting their potential in the food industry.
Shared by IFSS Research Team

Contacts

Connect to others working on and with this solution around the world

Add yourself as a contact
No contacts yet.

Pathways to uptake

Engage with our “backcasting tool” to imagine and design “pathways to uptake” for this solution in your setting.

This process involves defining a future vision of this solution being used in your context, and then working “backwards” to identify necessary steps to achieve this vision by 2030. Going through this exercise as an individual or with a team can help to clarify the WHAT/WHEN/HOW of moving a solution (or package of solutions) towards having major impact. We hope these pathways will inspire outside-of-the-box thinking, creative approaches, and actionable concrete steps to move ideas into action.

Pathway builder
image

Explore pathways for this solution

Be the first one and add a pathway for this solution!

Add pathway