Food Processing Line Sanitation Using Ozone and Other Chlorine Substitutes

Bacteria along with fat, protein and other debris form a persistent biofilm on food contact surfaces which are not normally removed by routine cleaning. Currently high temperature chlorinated water is used widely in the food industry to sanitize processing equipment or processing lines. Although this technique is generally effective there are disadvantages associated with it, including a concern that more resistant and virulent strains of bacteria are emerging because disinfectants and sanitizers (such as chlorine) have been used repeatedly.In June 1997, the Electric Power Research Institute Expert Panel submitted a petition to FDA proposing that the uses of ozone should be considered as GRAS (generally recognized as safe). The potential of ozone has been shown to be an effective replacement for chlorine to sanitize food contact surfaces. A concentration as low as 0.1 PPM effectively removes high organic content biofilms on the food contact surfaces. Ozone was shown to be a more powerful disinfectant than chlorine. Some limited laboratory work has been conducted on the use of ozone as a sanitizer against biofilms on stainless steel plates with pure non-pathogen cultures. There is no further information about the efficacy of ozone with food pathogens on different material surfaces. Furthermore. no work has been undertaken to date to evaluate the effects of temperature, pH, contact time, quality of surface, food soils, and background microflora on bacteria removal.There is also a lack of adequate information on corrosion data on the effect of ozone on food contact surface materials. It is the purpose of this study to provide the basis for the effective and safe utilization of ozone as a replacement for chlorine. The application of ozone sanitation is now gaining interest by food industry.