SUMMARY

This research extends the application of microwave heating towards the disinfestation area specifically in two sectors:  restoration of cultural heritage and meat industry.  An initial procedure of application is established in both cases, these procedures preserve the material properties (cured ham and wood) while noxious agents are exterminated (mite or woodworm respectively). The main goal is the safe, non-invasive and environmentally friendly disinfestation.
The methodology in both cases has three different phases: the first one is to establish the temperature level that does not cause any damage on the material; the second one is to determine the more effective treatment by means of the application of different suitable treatments to a set of samples, which are composed of the material and noxious agents; the last one is to verify that the treatment does not cause any negative effect on the material. 
In the case of the cured ham, an excellent effectiveness was observed in the laboratory, but at industrial level it was not possible due to the complexity of the problem. The goal was to demonstrate that the disinfestation of ham by microwaves is feasible. 
In the case of wood, a high mortality was observed in the central point of the samples for a simple microwave application, while in the peripheral areas was necessary multiple microwave applications with an overlapped treatment. The goal was to establish the adequate treatment and procedure. Additionally, a new applicator prototype was designed in order to get an independent treatment to the fiber orientation of wood with similar results. 
To summarize, the microwave disinfestations of cured ham is feasible, a suitable treatment to wood is established with the available prototype and a new prototype is built giving independence to fiber orientation.