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Employing UV light in the fight against N5N1
10 Playsin 9 hours
UVC LED lights can give poultry producers an extra layer of biosecurity. Learn more in this edition of the Future of Poultry Podcast featuring Jimmy Weng with Silanna Group.
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Transcript
Introduction to the Future of Poultry Podcast Series
00:00:00
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Future of Poultry podcast series.
00:00:12
Speaker
I'm Mark Clements, Editor-in-Chief Poultry with WhatGlobalMedia.
What is the role of ultraviolet technology in combating avian influenza?
00:00:17
Speaker
Today on the podcast, we're going to be looking at a technology that has successfully eliminated over 99.9% of the H5N1 avian influenza virus in trials. I say we'll be looking at, but this particular technology can't actually be seen. It's ultraviolet light.
00:00:35
Speaker
The benefits of ultraviolet light in destroying viruses and pathogens have been known for decades, but ultraviolet light can cause skin damage and indeed eye problems. Not all ultraviolet light, however, is the same.
00:00:48
Speaker
And a company in Brisbane, Australia, has been working with far ultraviolet C wavelengths. Trials of its far ultraviolet C LEDs have shown them to be almost 100% effective in killing eight five n one The company carrying out this work is Solana UV.
00:01:07
Speaker
And to tell us more about it, I'm delighted to welcome Jimmy Wang, Solana's Director of Sales and Marketing, to today's podcast. Jimmy, welcome to the Future of Poultry podcast.
00:01:19
Speaker
Thank you, Mark. Thanks for having me. It's great to have you here, Jimmy. Thank you for your time today.
How do Solana's UVC LEDs work against viruses like H5N1?
00:01:25
Speaker
Tell me, Solana works with UVC light sources across a variety of areas, and you say that you're pushing UV wavelengths to their limits.
00:01:35
Speaker
Tell us about this and this boundary pushing, if you would. Traditionally, UV-C dissipation has relied on mercury-based length, operating at 254 nm, which comes with well-known limitations.
00:01:49
Speaker
At Salonga, we manufacture advanced semiconductor UV-C LEDs, and we deliberately push it into a far UV-C spectrum, specifically around 235 nm. The shorter wavelength is set in what we describe as a real sweet spot.
00:02:04
Speaker
At 235 nm, the light is extremely effective in antibiotic viruses and bacteria, including challenging pathogens like H5N1. At the same time, the light is safely absorbed by the very outer layer of skin and the surface of the eyes, so it doesn't penetrate living tissue in the way the traditional UVC can do.
Collaboration with the University of Siena for UVC testing
00:02:25
Speaker
So in environments like pyrrole tree production, we can effectively display environments without posing a risk to the animals. And how did the work with H5N1 come about? And perhaps you could also tell us about your collaboration with the University of Siena.
00:02:43
Speaker
Yes, so we recognized early on, Airbnb in Versailles is a grow global biosecurity challenge with serious imp implications for food supply and human health. To properly evaluate our technology against H5N1, we knew the world has to be done independently and under strict biosafety standards.
00:03:02
Speaker
This leads us to the University of Siena in Italy. where the testing was conducted in a certified BSL-3 laboratory to move beyond theoretical benefits and prove real-world efficacy. We had a very clear objective, generally robust, semi-quietal control data on viral interaction performance, and the result was very encouraging.
Speed and effectiveness of UVC LEDs vs. chemical sprays
00:03:24
Speaker
And viral inactivation is really quick, isn't it? It's incredibly fast. The research from CNA shows our two 35-narodized AODs achieved a 99.99% of 4-logged reductions of H5N1 virus. What's truly impressive is the efficacy.
00:03:42
Speaker
To put into perspective, our AODs can neutralize the virus in seconds. Provide a label virus security like chemical spray simply cannot match in terms of speed and consistency.
What are the safety considerations for using UVC technology?
00:03:54
Speaker
And the spectrum that you're working with offers no threat to birds or farm workers? That's very important question. All UVC technology needs to be applied responsibility within regulatory exposure limits.
00:04:10
Speaker
What differentiates from UVC is that the light is absorbed much more strongly in outer biological layers, which allow improved safety margins compared to conventional UVC virtual lamp systems.
00:04:23
Speaker
But we are very clear, this is not about installing lamp rendering. It's about proper design, correct dose calculations, and compliance with exposure standards.
Addressing material impact and optimizing UVC exposure
00:04:33
Speaker
But what about the impact of uv light on materials? UV can damage plastics, for example, and there can be a lot of plastic in poultry houses.
00:04:43
Speaker
Yes, UV can degrade certain polymers over time. That's true for most UV-C wavelengths. However, degradation depends on wavelengths, intensities, it exposure durations, material compositions.
00:04:57
Speaker
In portrait environments, many plastics are already exposed to the sunlight, which contains UV. With LED-based systems, we can precisely control those and beam directions.
00:05:08
Speaker
Minimize unnecessary exposure to structural materials. And in many installations, such as carriers or control zones, exposure is targeted and optimized rather than break irradiations.
00:05:21
Speaker
So with the proper engineering material impact can be managed.
Broad-spectrum effectiveness of UVC LEDs
00:05:25
Speaker
And your UV spectrum works not only against the EH5N1 virus, but against a wide variety of pathogens.
00:05:33
Speaker
Correct. UV-C dose not rely on strength-specific biology. It disrupts nuclear acid with the last viral RNA, viral DNA, a or bacterial DNA.
00:05:45
Speaker
That means it is effective against influenza viruses, coronavirus, somnolidia, ecolates. The exact dose requirement varies, but the mechanism is more universal.
Farm trials and future deployment plans for UVC LEDs
00:05:56
Speaker
So in any biosecurity program, installing your LEDs would give producers an extra layer of protection? Yes, certainly. They are farms where UVC LED technology has already been installed and is currently being trialed.
00:06:12
Speaker
We are targeting broader deployment across additional farm facilities by the end of this year or only next year. That sounds great. Tell me, what will be the next steps for your LEDs? When might we see them commercialized, for example?
Integration of UVC LEDs into commercial systems
00:06:27
Speaker
Well, the C&R data is a green line we are waiting for. We are now moving into the integration phase, working with equipment manufacturers to build these two certified nanomines LEDs directly into proprietary house ventilations and entry point densification systems.
00:06:44
Speaker
We are excited to turn this lab result into a stand-on-line defense for the industry. Well, we look forward to it Jimmy. Thank you very much for joining us to- today.
00:06:55
Speaker
Listeners, thank you for joining us. And don't forget to look out for future editions of the Future of Poultry podcast. Thank you, Jimmy. Thank you, Mark.