Abstract
Electrolyzed water (EW) shows great potential as a green and economical sanitation solution for the food industry. However, only limited studies have investigated the optimum electrolysis parameters and the bactericidal effect of acidic electrolyzed water (AcEW) and alkaline electrolyzed water (AlEW). Here, the Box–Behnken experimental design was used to identify the optimum parameters. The tests were conducted with different types of electrodes, electrical voltages, electrolysis times, and NaCl concentrations. There were no obvious differences observed in the physico-chemical properties of EW when different electrodes were used. However, stainless steel was chosen as it meets most of the selection criteria. The best-optimized conditions for AcEW were at 11.39 V, 0.65 wt.% NaCl, and 7.23 min, while the best-optimized conditions for AlEW were at 10.32 V, 0.6 wt.% NaCl, and 7.49 min. The performance of the optimum EW (AcEW and AlEW) compared with commercial cleaning detergents for the food industry was then evaluated. The bactericidal activity of AcEW and AlEW was examined against Escherichia coli ATCC 10536 at different temperatures (30 °C and 50 °C) for 30 s. The results show that both AcEW and AlEW have the ability to reduce the Escherichia coli to non-detectable levels (less than 2 log CFU/mL).
Highlights
Sanitation processes are mandatory in the food industry to ensure that the production of safe food is always maintained
Copper is the best electrical conductor compared with zinc, titanium, and stainless steel
The results show that the quadratic models with R2 and R2 adj values of more than
Summary
Sanitation processes (i.e., cleaning and disinfection) are mandatory in the food industry to ensure that the production of safe food is always maintained. Daily sanitation is a common procedure in food production areas. This practice has several drawbacks such as high cost, high water usage, hazardous chemical effluents, and chemical residues in processing equipment which may affect food safety and quality. Nowadays food producers and consumers demand green sanitation chemicals. In essence, using cleaning detergents and disinfection chemicals that are eco-friendly and do not emit pollutants.
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