Before taking a bite of out a juicy red apple or dipping a fresh strawberry into some whipped cream, fruit lovers are likely to give their produce a good rinse. Washing fruit can remove dangerous food-borne pathogens like listeria and E. coli, but most consumers—and health officials—would prefer that the potentially deadly bacteria be eliminated long before it reaches their refrigerator.

Hoping to provide organic farmers with chemical-free options that also align with USDA food safety regulations, researchers at Washington State University came up with an enlightening solution: ultraviolet C light.

No stranger to food production, UVC rays disrupt the DNA of harmful microorganisms. The light is most commonly used to eliminate bacteria on food contact surfaces (the light cannot permeate opaque objects), which led researchers to hypothesize that it could be similarly successful in killing bacteria on fruit surfaces. After testing the light on listeria- and E. coli–laden apples, pears, strawberries, raspberries, and cantaloupes, the researchers published their promising findings in the International Journal of Food Microbiology.

The effectiveness of the light varied depending on the smoothness of the fruit, bacteria strain, dose of light, and exposure time. The light was most effective with E. coli on smooth apples and pears, killing up to 99.9 percent of pathogens. It proved less successful on bumpier fruits—where germs can hide in cracks and crevices—but research is under way to improve its abilities.

That’s because implementation of the light would be an easy and cheap option for farmers to add to their assembly lines. Fruit accounted for 4 percent of E. coli outbreaks between 2003 and 2012, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Half of all listeria outbreaks are linked to fruit. A 2011 outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe resulted in 147 illnesses and 33 deaths, making it the most deadly food-borne illness in the past 100 years.

U.S. food recalls have more than doubled since 2002, according to numbers compiled by insurance company Swiss Ze. The USDA announced a plan this week for upcoming surveys to investigate food safety and develop new guidelines to reduce contamination.

While more work needs to be done to study UVC light and increase its effectiveness before it hits farms nationwide, its capabilities are a promising option for organic growers.