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Researchers from the University of Reading and the Animal and Plant Health Agency reported that violet-blue photodynamic inactivation killed all 64 Campylobacter strains tested. The method does not require direct contact with food or added chemicals, but its effectiveness and practicality on chicken need further trials.
Researchers from the University of Reading and the Animal and Plant Health Agency found that a violet-blue light treatment killed all 64 Campylobacter strains they tested, including strains with different species and antibiotic-resistance profiles. The findings point to a possible way to reduce the bacteria on chicken without adding chemicals or physically contacting the food, but more trials are needed before its effectiveness in practical food-processing conditions is clear.
The method, called violet-blue photodynamic inactivation (VB-PDI), uses light to target bacteria. The study tested it against 64 different Campylobacter strains. According to the reported findings, the treatment killed every strain in the test, regardless of the strain’s species or antibiotic resistance profile.
The researchers’ result is a laboratory finding, not evidence that the treatment is already in use on commercial chicken or that it prevents foodborne illness in people. The report describes the technique as promising but says further trials are needed. It does not provide details about the treatment conditions, such as exposure time or light intensity, or quantify how much bacterial contamination was reduced.
VB-PDI’s reported practical feature is that it does not require physical contact with the food and does not involve adding chemicals. Those characteristics may make it worth studying as a potential food-safety measure, but the available account does not establish whether the method can be applied consistently to chicken at processing scale.
A Possible Extra Barrier on Chicken
Campylobacter is the most common cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide, according to the source report. In the UK, there were 70,000 laboratory-confirmed cases across 2024 and 2025. A method that could lower contamination on raw chicken may matter because food handling can spread bacteria even when the meat is later cooked.
Campylobacter is killed by cooking, but cross-contamination from handling raw meat is thought to be a major route of infection. Bacteria can spread from raw chicken to hands, utensils, work surfaces or ready-to-eat food if these are not handled safely. A treatment applied before chicken reaches consumers could potentially complement safe handling and thorough cooking. The study does not show that VB-PDI replaces either practice, nor does it establish a reduction in human cases.
The results also cover strains with different antibiotic-resistance profiles. That breadth is relevant to the study’s laboratory findings, but it should not be taken to mean that the treatment changes antibiotic resistance or that it has been shown to work against every Campylobacter strain outside the tested group.
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The Raw-Chicken Contamination Route
The study addresses Campylobacter contamination associated with chicken, rather than suggesting that cooking is ineffective. The source report states that cooking kills Campylobacter; the concern is that bacteria can be transferred before cooking through contact with raw meat and contaminated items or surfaces.
The findings were reported by Food Safety News on October 9, 2026, with an update on October 10. The report attributes the testing to scientists at the University of Reading and the Animal and Plant Health Agency. It describes the work as a study of VB-PDI against 64 strains and characterizes the technique as a potential option, while stressing the need for more trials. The material provided does not identify a journal, publication date for the underlying study, or detailed experimental protocol.
The reported UK case figure is for the combined years 2024 and 2025, not a single-year count. It offers a measure of the public-health relevance of Campylobacter, but the source material gives no year-by-year breakdown or comparison with earlier periods.
“Every strain was killed by the treatment, regardless of species or antibiotic resistance profile.”
— The study findings, as reported by Food Safety News
Questions Before Food-Plant Use
The reported findings do not show how well VB-PDI works on chicken under commercial processing conditions. The available source does not specify whether the tests were conducted on food itself, how much light exposure was used, or whether the treatment’s performance varies with the shape, surface or condition of chicken portions.
It is also unclear how the approach would affect the quality or appearance of chicken, what equipment and operating conditions it might require, or whether it could be integrated into existing production lines. The source provides no comparative results against other food-safety measures, no quantified reduction in contamination and no evidence of an effect on illness rates. Until further trials address those points, the 64-strain result remains a research finding, not a demonstrated guarantee of safer chicken in shops or homes.
Further Trials Must Test Chicken
The next step identified in the report is more trials. To show whether VB-PDI could serve as a food-safety intervention, subsequent research would need to establish its performance on chicken and under conditions relevant to handling or processing the product.
The source material does not give a timetable for further testing or say whether researchers plan commercial-scale studies. It also does not identify a regulatory review, product launch or food-industry adoption. For now, consumers should continue to follow established advice: keep raw chicken separate from ready-to-eat foods, wash hands and clean surfaces and utensils after handling it, and cook chicken thoroughly.
Key Questions
What is violet-blue photodynamic inactivation?
VB-PDI is a light-based technique tested against Campylobacter. The reported method does not require physical contact with the food or the addition of chemicals.
What did the study find?
Researchers tested the technique against 64 Campylobacter strains and reported that it killed every strain tested, regardless of species or antibiotic-resistance profile. The report does not provide detailed treatment conditions or a quantified reduction in bacteria on chicken.
Can the light treatment be used on chicken now?
The findings do not establish that it is ready for commercial use. The report says more trials are needed and does not describe a rollout or regulatory approval.
Does the finding mean chicken no longer needs careful handling or cooking?
No. The study does not show that VB-PDI replaces safe food handling or cooking. The report says Campylobacter is killed by cooking and identifies cross-contamination from raw meat as a major possible route of infection.
Source: rss
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