DEACTIVATION OF MICROORGANISMS BY AN OSCILLATING MAGNETIC FIELD

摘要

Material having relatively high electrical resistivity, such as food products and containers, is disposed within a magnetic coil and subjected to one or more pulses of an oscillating magnetic field having an intensity of between about 2 and about 100 Tesla and a frequency of between about 5 and about 500 kHz. A single pulse of the magnetic field generally decreases the microorganism population by at least about two orders of magnitude, and substantially complete sterility is more closely approached by subjecting the material to additional pulses.