Effects of microwave radiation on living microorganisms: effects and mechanisms

The article analyzes the scientific literature on the effect of microwave exposure on the vital activity of microorganisms. The influence of the frequency of microwaves, the power of the applied impact and the total amount of absorbed energy on the viability of microorganisms and the features of their growth is considered. Possible mechanisms of interaction of microbial cells with the electromagnetic field in the ultrahigh frequency range are considered. It is noted that microorganisms die when exposed to high-energy and high-frequency microwaves, while low-energy and high-frequency microwaves contribute to the intensification of their growth. It is concluded that although many authors observe significant biological effects when exposed to microwaves on living systems, this issue has not been sufficiently studied in the scientific literature. It is of interest to conduct a systematic study of the effect of microwaves of a certain frequency on the biological, biochemical and growth parameters of the cells of microorganisms, in particular lactic acid organisms, in order to use the results of these studies in the food industry in the production of new food products.