Pulsed light is an emerging non-thermal sterilization technology. It uses the instantaneous high-energy pulsed light to achieve the sterilization effect， without chemical residue and having good sterilization effect. At the same time， it has a good maintenance effect on the nutrients in food， especially the antioxidant substances. This article combined the research of the past ten years to review the sterilization effect of pulsed light treatment on common microorganisms in foods such as bacteria， fungi and viruses， the effect of pulsed light treatment on food quality such as color， hardness， flavor， total phenol and antioxidant substances and the influence factors affecting the efficiency of pulsed light treatment by packaging materials and food contact surfaces， which would provide a basis for the practical application of pulsed light sterilization technology in food production.