Systematic review and meta-analysis of time-temperature pathogen inactivation

Abstract

Heat treatment, or thermal disinfection, is one of the simplest disinfection methods, and is widely used in the water, sanitation, and food sectors, especially in low resource settings. Pathogen reductions achieved during heat treatment are influenced by a combination of temperature and exposure time. The objective of this paper was to construct updated time-temperature pathogen inactivation curves to define "safety zones" for the reduction of four pathogen groups (bacteria, viruses, protozoan (oo)cysts, and helminth eggs) during heat treatment in a variety of matrices. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to determine the times needed to achieve specified levels of pathogen reduction at different temperatures. Web of Science was searched using a Boolean string to target studies of heat treatment and pasteurization systems that exposed pathogens in water, wastewater, biosolids, soil, or food matrices to temperatures between 20 °C and 95 °C. Data were extracted from tables or figures and regression was used to assess the relationship between time and temperature. Our findings indicate that the temperatures and times needed to achieve a 1-log₁₀ reduction of all pathogen groups are likely higher and longer, respectively, than previously reported. The type of microorganism and the matrix significantly impact T₉₀ values reported at different temperatures. At high temperatures, the time-temperature curves are controlled by thermally stable viruses such as hepatitis A virus. Data gaps include the lack of data on protozoa, and the lack of data on all pathogen groups at low temperatures, for long exposure times, and with high log₁₀ reductions. The findings from this study can be used by engineers, food safety specialists for the planning and design of engineered water, sanitation, and food pasteurization and treatment systems.

Keywords: Heat treatment; Log reduction; Pasteurization; Safety zone plot; Thermal disinfection; Waterborne and foodborne pathogens.