Posted by Joel Leusink on May 11, 2011 under Ozone food | 
The following paper can now be found on our website.
Antimicrobial Effects of Ozonated Water Against Generic E.coli on Swine Intestines Varying Ozone Concentrations and Exposure Times
Abstract:
Swine intestines harvested then turned inside-out and washed with cold water to remove all visible contaminants were tested to have a generic E.coli load of 6 to 7.5 logs per gram of tissue. Samples of these tissues were treated with ozonated water at various concentrations for various lengths of time up to a total of 30 seconds. It was determined that concentrations below 1 ppm had no significant anti-E.coli effects at any of the exposure times tested. At 1 ppm and above significant kills were achieved with a 1 second exposure time. At 1 ppm and up to 2.5 ppm a 15 second exposure time was needed to achieve the greatest E.coli kill, and at 3 ppm and above a 1 second exposure time was all that was needed to achieve the greatest E-coli kill.
Full Paper HERE
This paper is very exciting as it shows the concentration of ozone in water and the contact time necessary to achieve E.coli reduction. This papers shows that 2.0 ppm of dissolved ozone for only 1 second of contact time achieves a 3 log reduction of E.coli bacteria. This new data is extremely useful in understanding the effectiveness of ozone use in spray applications where contact time is very short.
Ozone Solutions has a full collection of research on our website here.
For more information on ozone use for food processing click here.
Posted by Joel Leusink on April 30, 2011 under Food Industry |
New paper on the use of ozone in food processing was recently released in the Journal of Food Science.
EFFICACY OF OZONE PRODUCE WASHERS IN REDUCING NATURAL AND ARTIFICIALLY INOCULATED MICROORGANISMS ON ROMA TOMATOES AND GREEN ONIONS
- WILBERT LONG III1,2,
- STEVEN PAO1,*,
- PAULA INSERRA1,
- EDWINA WESTBROOK1,
- SOOHYOUN AHN2,3
Article first published online: 20 APR 2011
DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-4565.2011.00297.x
ABSTRACT
This study investigated the efficacy of ozone washing appliances for microbial decontamination of tomatoes and green onions. Produce were submerged for light or heavy washing in ozone Washer-A or -B (Washer-B generates higher levels of ozone and agitation) or non-ozone Washer-C. Ozone washings reduced total aerobic mesophile counts on whole tomatoes but not green onions when compared to unwashed samples. Washer-B at heavy setting reduced coliform numbers on whole tomatoes by 1.9 cfu/g. Furthermore, Washer-B yielded more than 2.0 log reductions of Escherichia coli (inoculation level at ∼6.3 log cfu/g) on the edible portions of tomatoes than Washer-A at comparable settings. A follow-up study using Washer-B showed that ozone application can significantly reduce E. coli and Salmonella in produce wash water to prevent cross-contamination. However, when compared to non-ozone washing of produce, improved reduction of natural and artificially inoculated microorganisms by ozone applications was not found. Microscopic observation corroborates microbial enumeration showing that removing inedible portions (stem scars or root bulbs) of washed tomatoes and green onions is beneficial for microbial decontamination.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Contaminated produce is a major cause of bacterial-related foodborne illnesses in the U.S.A. To meet consumer’s demand for safer produce, effective sanitizing methods need to be developed and verified. Data from this study expands our knowledge of ozone-based kitchen appliances for produce sanitization and their practical value for preventing cross-contamination during produce washing. Furthermore, the findings highlight the importance of removing stem-scar and root bulb portions of washed produce for food safety.
This paper can be purchased from the Journal of Food Science. Click here for link.
Posted by Joel Leusink on April 24, 2011 under Ozone News |
Research conducted by Ozone Solutions in conjunction with Kraft Science Consulting, and Synergy Environmental proved that gaseous ozone has the potential to be used as an antimicrobial agent against E.coli on ground beef. Read the abstract to this paper here:
Abstract: The use of gaseous ozone was evaluated as an antimicrobial intervention against Escherichia coli (E.coli) in ground beef. This research took place in two parts. Phase 1 initially inspected for color and appearance change due to ozone gas oxidizing the beef. Phase 2 tested for antimicrobial action due to the ozone against E.coli bacteria. Ozone treatment to the ground beef showed no color or flavor change at ozone levels that were effective at reducing E.coli in the ground beef. Raw, ground beef inoculated with generic E.coli was treated with gaseous ozone at various levels it was determined that approximately 95.8% of the E.coli in the ground beef was killed when the ozone concentration approached 200 ppm
Read the entire paper here
This preliminary research did show that ozone is effective at rendering E.coli inactive on ground beef. While additional testing may be necessary, this initial research has laid the groundwork for a potentially new application of ozone and a method of removing E.coli from ground beef without adding water in the process.
To read additional research from ozone click here
For more information on ozone and food processing click here
Posted by Joel Leusink on March 20, 2011 under Food Industry, Ozone Generators |
Our Ozone Research page received four new papers today! These four papers are all complete research papers that were written specifically for, or by, Ozone Solutions. See ozone research.
These papers are a great addition to our research page. The first paper is a paper on Ozone and ground beef. This paper was presented at the recent International Ozone Association Conference in, Bellevue, WA. This paper covers the potential use of using ozone gas to reduce E.coli in ground beef.
The second paper is titled Antimicrobial Effects of Ozonated Water Against Generic E.coli on Swine Intestines. This paper covers the use of ozone on pork carcasses. This paper was written by a local pork processor to determine if ozone would be good solution for their operation. Today they are using ozone throughout their plant.
The third paper is my personal favorite. That may be due to my personal involvement, however it is more likely due to the great results is showed. This paper shows the relationship of ozone concentration, and contact time against E.coli bacteria. In this paper we discovered that only 2.0 ppm of ozone for one second of contact time is very effective at achieving a great reduction in E.coli bacteria.
The final paper titled Antimicrobial Efficacies of 2.3 ppm Aqueous Ozone Against E.coli and General Aerobic Bacteria shows the effect of 2.3 ppm aqueous ozone. This is a simple paper that shows the great effect of a typical ozone residual in water.
You can check out these papers along with other research and information on our food processing page. If you have any questions, feel free to contact our ozone application engineers today.
Posted by Joel Leusink on May 12, 2010 under Food Industry |
An Irish study claims ozone treatment is an effective process for reducing bacteria in apple juice with the required level of ozone application dependent on its acidity level.
Link to full article HERE
Learn more about ozone and E.coli HERE
Learn about Ozone and Bacteria HERE
Posted by Joel Leusink on March 30, 2010 under Food Industry |
Antimicrobial effect of Ozonated water against E.coli
Recently we performed some research using ozone as an antimicrobial agent against E.coli. Specifically this research was based on determining what level of ozone (in ppm) was necessary for what period of time ( in seconds) was necessary for adequate E.coli reduction.
The ozone levels and times shown in the chart below were used in this test. The reduction of bacteria is shown in the table for the ozone concentration and contact time used.
Table Shows Log Reduction of E.coli with Ozone
|
1 Second |
7 Seconds |
15 Seconds |
30 Seconds |
| 1 PPM |
1.4 |
2.7 |
4.7 |
4.7 |
| 1.5 PPM |
1.6 |
2.8 |
3.1 |
3.1 |
| 2 PPM |
3.5 |
3.6 |
3.8 |
3.8 |
| 2.5 PPM |
3.1 |
3.2 |
3.6 |
3.7 |
| 3 PPM |
3.5 |
3.7 |
3.7 |
3.7 |
| 3.7 PPM |
3.6 |
3.8 |
3.9 |
4.2 |
| 4.4 PPM |
4.2 |
4.9 |
4.6 |
4.8 |
This chart was generated from an average of 3 samples tested. The full results are available online in the paper below.
Click HERE to read this entire paper
This test was very successful in that it proved that only 2.o PPM of ozone for 1 second of contact time achieves similar results to much higher ozone concentrations for longer contact times. This may allow for lower water flows to be used with smaller ozone generation systems. This may be a net energy savings for many processing plants currently using dissolved ozone as an antimicrobial intervention.
While this test used dissolved ozone to inactivate E.coli on pork meat it is important to note that ozone can destroy any bacteria on any surface. Call us today to find if ozone is a possible intervention in your current application.
More information on ozone and bacteria reduction can be found at the links below:
Posted by Joel Leusink on March 28, 2010 under Food Industry |
Below is a computer generated illustration of how ozone kills healthy bacteria.
- A healthy bacillus bacterial cell (waiting to ruin your day).
- Zooming in closer, Ozone (light green) comes into contact with the cell wall. The cell wall is vital to the bacteria because it ensures the organism can maintain its shape.
- As ozone molecules make contact with the cell wall, a reaction called an oxidative burst occurs which literally creates a tiny hole in the cell wall.
- A newly created hole in the cell wall has injured the bacterium.
- The bacterium begins to loose its shape while ozone molecules continue creating holes in the cell wall.
- After thousands of ozone collisions over only a few seconds, the bacterial wall can no longer maintain its shape and the cell dies.
Note: bacteria cannot build an immunity to ozone due to the oxidation that occurs on the cell wall.
For more bacteria reduction information follow the links below:
