Food-borne pathogens are the leading cause of illness in developing countries costing billions of dollars in medical and social care. Contaminated raw meat is one of the main sources of food-borne illnesses and is also associated with the transmission of zoonotic infections. There are various approaches for the control of raw meat contamination although these systems do not reach significant longer shelf lifes and/or imply on quality damage. Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) is a short wavelength (254nm) radiation and is primarily used for the disinfection of air, surfaces and liquids and potentially can be used to solve the problem of raw meat conservation. The aim of this study was to investigate the decrease of naturally occurring microbial loads and on inoculated Salmonella enteritidis population in raw cow meat using UV-C treatment. The meat was purchased on local marked and immediately used on the assays. When need, the product was inoculated with 7,2 log cfu.g-1 of S. enteritidis. The meat was then exposed to UV-C doses on the range 0,0 – 5,0 J.cm-2 on a low pressure mercury lamp UV-C reactor. The effects of UV-C on microbial loads were evaluated by kinetic studies on the inactivation of inoculated and naturally occurring microorganisms, and during shelf-life. A reduction of 4,9 log cfu.g-1 of S. enteritidis and a total reduction on naturally occurring microorganisms was observed at the highest dose. The shelf life of the meat treated on the optimal point was extended from 3 days to 10 days. All the UV-C treatments of raw cow meat used in this study reduced the S. enteritidis count (P < 0.05), however this decrease was not statistically significant on the lower doses. Due to its effectiveness in log reduction, UV-C light technology can be utilized in the conservation of non cooked meat industry.