Washing foods with electrolyzed water can sometimes be
up to
10 times more effective at killing harmful bacteria than
traditional
rinsing techniques, according to one University of Georgia
scientist.

“Currently, the food industry washes foods with a
chlorine
solution to kill bacteria,” said Yen Con Hung, a food
scientist
at UGA’s Center for Food Safety and Quality Enhancement in
Griffin,
Ga. “This method is effective, but it takes time to mix the
chlorine solution and to ensure the correct concentration of
residual
chlorine in the solution.”

Hung
has been testing a new method, which uses a combination of water,
electricity and a salt solution to enhance the properties of
water.
The water and salt solution flow through a machine called an
electrolyzed
oxidizing water unit. The positive ions run through one side,
and the negative ions through the other. The result is two forms
of water; one very acidic and one with very high pH levels.

Kills Bacteria Better

Testing the two waters in his laboratory, Hung found the
acidic
water very effective at killing harmful bacteria. “We have
tested this water on shell eggs, apples, lettuce and cutting
boards,”
Hung said. “It has a very strong bacterial killing effect,
and for some applications has better effect than the currently
used water/chlorine solutions.”

Working with UGA sensory specialists, Hung put the acidic
water
through consumer tests. “We had trained panelists compare
products which were not treated to products treated with the
water,”
he said. “They found no differences in color, appearance
or smell.”

Powerful Sanitizer

Hung also tested the high pH water and found it to be
extremely
useful as a sanitizer. “It works like a soap, and it eases
the attachment of proteins and lipids in food materials to the
food preparation and processing surfaces,” Hung said.

Hung’s research findings were published just a few months ago
and he is already getting response from the food industry.
“The
device is manufactured in Japan and Russia, and it isn’t being
used in the United States, yet,” he said. “We have
already
heard from companies that are interested in using the process
here in the U.S.”

Perfect for Food Service
Operations

Hung envisions the process being used by food service
operations
first. “The small unit could easily be used in food service
facilities,” Hung said. “It’s easier for workers to
use so there would be no excuses for not using it. There’s
nothing
to prepare and mix, and you wouldn’t have to leave customers
waiting.”

He says the unit could also be useful in food processing
plants.
“In mass production, this technology would be very cost
effective,”
Hung said. “When you want to use it, you push a button. You
don’t have to worry with mixing up concentrated liquids, and it’s
more effective than chlorine rinses.”

May Be Useful to Processors

In the future, Hung plans to test the application of
electrolyzed
oxidized water during chicken processing. “We want to use
the water on chicken carcasses to see if it cuts down on the
levels
of salmonella and campylobacter,” Hung said. “If it
does, this treatment could be incorporated into chicken
processing
plants.”

Hung
also plans to test the water on food products that are hard to
treat to remove bacteria. “You can’t use heat to kill
bacteria
on products like fresh berries and seafood like raw
oysters,”
Hung said. “The food needs to be safe, but no one wants
their
oysters to be cooked. They wouldn’t be raw oysters any
longer.”

He also plans to further study what makes the water so
effective
and which properties in the water work best at killing
bacteria.

Home Use Down the Road

“In Japan, there are home units similar to this that are
used for treating water,” Hung said. “It purifies
drinking
water and lowers the pH levels.”

Hung says he hopes to someday see U.S. consumers using home
versions of the electrolyzed water units. “It would be handy
and could easily clean your food and sanitize your kitchen,”
he said. “Until then, consumers should continue to wash
their
food products at home before preparing them for their
families.”

(Photographs by Sharon Omahen.)