The Application of Ozone Water in Food Sterilization
Release date:
2021-11-18
Traditional methods of food sterilization
Sterilization is an essential process in food processing that ensures food safety. With the advancement of technology, sterilization methods and techniques have become increasingly diverse and are evolving toward greater safety, efficiency, energy conservation, and environmental friendliness. Traditionally, thermal sterilization has been the primary method used. However, due to the generally poor heat-conducting properties of foods, it takes a relatively long time for the core of the food material to reach the required sterilization temperature, which can lead to a reduction in nutritional value. Moreover, the thermal capacity of the heating equipment itself results in significant energy consumption. Additionally, high temperatures can impart cooking or canned-food flavors to the food, thereby limiting consumers' choices of high-temperature processed foods to some extent. Recently, ozone-water sterilization has emerged as a new sterilization technology. This technique is suitable not only for foods with poor thermal conductivity and those whose quality tends to degrade under heat but also for foods packaged in materials such as plastic and glass—such as vegetable juices, meat broths, soft drinks, and coffee beverages. Ozone-water sterilization can achieve sterilization goals in a short period of time while effectively preventing secondary contamination. Because it offers numerous advantages that traditional sterilization methods—such as thermal sterilization, ultra-high-pressure sterilization, and chemical sterilization—do not possess, this technology has found wide-ranging applications in fields including food processing, healthcare, and chemical engineering.
The current best sterilization method
Ozone possesses an exceptionally strong disinfecting and sterilizing effect on microorganisms such as bacteria, molds, and pathogens. It kills viruses by directly disrupting their RNA and DNA molecules; as for bacteria and other microbial species, ozone first acts upon the cell membrane, then proceeds to damage the internal cellular structures until the microorganisms are completely dissolved and die. High-concentration ozone water used for sterilization and disinfection leaves no residual substances behind. The process involves using a novel PEM membrane to electrolyze deionized water under low-voltage DC conditions, with solid-state membrane electrodes at both the positive and negative poles. At the special anode solution interface, water is separated into hydrogen and oxygen molecules via proton exchange. Hydrogen gas is directly released from the cathode solution interface, while oxygen molecules, at the anode interface, gain energy through electron excitation induced by high-density current and subsequently combine to form ozone molecules. Compared to conventional corona-discharge ozone generators, this method offers the following advantages: the generated ozone gas boasts a much higher concentration—several times greater by weight than that produced by corona-discharge generators—and can reach up to 20% (over 250 mg/L). Moreover, the ozone gas produced contains no nitrogen oxides (NOx) and is free of any carcinogenic substances, making the sterilization and disinfection process extremely cost-effective. After disinfection, ozone decomposes entirely into oxygen and water, leaving no residual chemicals whatsoever. The entire sterilization and disinfection process can be completed in just 1–2 minutes.
Currently, ozone-water sterilization technology has been widely adopted in the meat industry, particularly in developed countries and regions such as the United States, Japan, and Europe, where it has seen rapid development. This technology can be applied to various sectors within the meat industry, including livestock products, poultry and egg products, and aquatic products, and the process conditions have been further optimized. Ozone-water sterilization not only boasts fast sterilization speeds and excellent efficacy but also effectively addresses the sterilization challenges associated with soft-packaged meat products. Take pickled pepper chicken feet as an example: To sterilize pickled pepper chicken feet using ozone water, after the chicken feet have been cut, they are immersed in and rinsed with ozone water for sterilization. Following this, the cleaned chicken feet are subjected to high-temperature steaming. After steaming, the chicken feet are cooled down, sterilized, and bleached again using ozone water, which significantly extends the shelf life of the pickled pepper chicken feet. Since chicken feet naturally harbor a large number of bacteria that are difficult to eliminate completely, the concentration of ozone water required for effective sterilization is relatively high. For pickled pepper chicken feet, the minimum ozone-water concentration needed to achieve sterilization effectiveness is 8 mg/L—or at least 8 ppm. When the ozone-water concentration reaches 10–15 ppm, the sterilization effect is even more pronounced, greatly extending the product’s shelf life. This demonstrates that this technology fully meets the requirements of industrial production.
Trends in future sterilization methods
In the future, further in-depth research is still needed in areas such as the mechanism of ozone water sterilization, ozone water sterilization equipment, process parameters for ozone water sterilization, the issue of cold spots in ozone water sterilization of packaged meat products, and expanding the scope of ozone water sterilization applications in the food industry. We believe that as this technology continues to evolve, ozone water sterilization will find even wider application in the food industry, providing people with safer, higher-quality, and more convenient food products that meet their diverse and modern dietary needs.
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