• Implementation of Ozone
• Resolution Concerning the User of Ozone in Food Processing
• Papers About E.coli and Ozone

Bacteria is not the most common topic for discussion around workplace water coolers. However, in recent years, a specific strain of bacteria has garnered a fair amount of press and discussion. The bacterium strain E.coli O157:H7 has become so popular in the media that most people have a healthy fear of this bacteria.

Escherichia coli (E.coli) is a Gram negative bacterium that is commonly found in the intestines of animals and humans. Specific strains of E.coli are dangerous and can cause food borne illnesses. One of the most dangerous strains of E.coli is O157:H7. This strain of E.coli results in an estimated 2,100 hospitalizations annually in the United States, and can be life threatening.

This strain of E.coli can be found on many vegetables, meats, and even the water supply. Most infections from E.coli O157:57 are caused from food borne illness, mainly undercooked ground beef, however, some have been waterborne. In May of 2000, the municipal water supply of Canadian town Walkerton, Ontario, was contaminated with this pathogen and has been blamed for over 2,000 illnesses and seven (7) deaths.

Antimicrobial interventions to reduce food-borne pathogens are getting harder to find. For example, historically Chlorine has been a low cost and relatively easy to use oxidizer that is effective against a wide variety of pathogens. However, the use of chlorine is becoming more difficult to integrate as the potentially harmful side effects of chlorine are becoming more and more apparent. This is also happening with other antimicrobial interventions such as methyl bromide, chlorine dioxide, and sodium hypochlorite.

A fairly new antimicrobial intervention that is both effective and safe is ozone. The use of ozone is gaining popularity in drinking water, food processing, and surface sanitation. While ozone is effective on a wide variety of pathogens, studies were done to prove that ozone is effective against the deadly strain of E.coli O157:H7. Research has been performed and ozone has proven to be a successful antimicrobial agent in reduction of E.coli O157:H7. We have assembled a few research papers that used ozone on various food products to successfully reduce or eliminate Ecoli O157:H7. These can be found HERE.

Implementation of Ozone

Aqueous Ozone

The most common method of using ozone for pathogen reduction is dissolving ozone into water. Aqueous ozone is very stable, safe, and easy to manage. Typically, ozone is dissolved into water using an ozone injection system and then sprayed onto the surface requiring disinfection. This surface may be a hard equipment surface, or the surface of a food product.

Ozone levels of 2.0 ppm are commonly used for E.coli O157:H7 reduction. Only a few seconds of contact time of the aqueous ozone with the pathogen is necessary for inactivation. See chart below for details. Reference HERE.

Using this data a determination of spray nozzles, spray bars, or even conveyers can be established. It is clearly shown that 2.0 ppm of aqueous ozone is very effective in only a short period of time, while higher ozone levels show only marginal improvement.

Ozone can also be used in drinking water to inactivate Ecoli O157:H7. This has been confirmed by the EPA and recognized as a suitable disinfectant for water. Reference HERE.

Gaseous ozone

The use of gaseous ozone for the elimination of pathogens is less common. There is also less research showing the effects of gaseous ozone on bacteria. The application of gaseous ozone is dependent upon the temperature, humidity, contact time, and ozone levels. Research has been conducted to determine that gaseous ozone will reduce and inactivate Ecoli O157:H7, however more research is necessary to determine the effectiveness of ozone within different variables.

Ozone Solutions did perform research on the effect of gaseous ozone on ground beef to inactive E-coli. This research can be found here.

Below is an excerpt from the Direct Food Additive Petition presented to the FDA in August 2000 to achieve GRAS status for the use of ozone to inactivate Ecoli O157:h7, along with other pathogens.

To see this page on our website with additional information click HERE.

Recently I was doing some research on the use of ozone on E.Coli O157 H7 Reduction. I found more information than I expected, so, I though I would share it with the world.

The reason for the research is due to a paper we are writing on some testing we recently performed on using ozone gas for E.coli reduction on ground beef. The research was successful and I will share the data and paper soon. I was looking for references for this paper, I found more than I expected.

E.coli O157:H7 is one of the main strains of bacterium that causes food borne and waterborne illness. Although most strains of E.coli are harmless and live in the intestines of healthy humans and animals, this strain produces a powerful toxin and can cause severe illness.

Here are the titles and links to the papers I found. I will be getting the full abstracts up on our website soon.  Each of these papers covers the use of ozone as an antimicrobial agent for use on E.coli O157:H7

Utilization of Ozone for the Decontamination of Small Fruits

Effectiveness of ozone for inactivation of Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus in pistachios

Application of Ozone for Inactivation of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 on Inoculated Alfalfa Sprouts

Efficacy of Ozone Against Escherichia coli O157:H7 on Apples

Efficacy of aqueous ozone for the decontamination of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella on raspberries and strawberries.

Inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Natural Microbiota on Spinach Leaves Using Gaseous Ozone during Vacuum Cooling and Simulated Transportation

Decontamination of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica on blueberries using ozone and pulsed UV-light.

And finally, the U.S. EPA has a page specifically answering your questions regarding E.coli O157:H7
Basic Information about E.coli O157:H7 in Drinking Water