In a Food Procesing magazine article by Kevin T. Higgins, Managing Editor, dated 01/08/2014, the growing potential for ozone as a disinfecting agent for food processing is explored. Below are some excerpts from the article.
The article notes that in June 2001 the FDA lifted restrictions on ozone’s use. Health Canada gave its blessing for the use of ozone in a fish processing plant in British Columbia in 2012. So, it appears that North American regulators are willing to accept ozone as a disinfecting agent for food processing.
Because the U.S. Department of Commerce oversees seafood processing, ozone’s use in direct contact with fish predates FDA’s approval. Knocking down spoilage organisms and bacteria is essential if fish is to have a realistic shelf life. While U.S. firms have used ozonated water to accomplish that for at least 15 years, their counterparts to the north only recently have had that option.
Adoption by other food processing companies has been cautious. Don’t fix what’s not broken is a guiding principle in process industries, and even small changes are approached with considerable caution. Misapplication also retarded acceptance: Overdosing of water for equipment cleaning generated complaints of pitting of stainless steel, and poultry processors seeking high log reductions on chicken carcasses discovered oxidation could react with lipids and create rancidity issues. Worker safety issues and unreliable controls that produced spotty results in some ozone applications in the past.
Ozone is a standard part of bottled water applications. It seems to be finding growing acceptance in the fish processing industry and in the handling of fresh cut vegetables. So, with a better understanding of how to best apply ozone, on what food products and increased awareness of the benefits, ozone should find its way into more and more food processing facilities.