Application of Electrolyzed Water as Food Sanitizer

Abstract

Uncontrolled growth of microorganism in foodstuff pose a severe challenge to the food industry, as it could lead to food spoilage, or even foodborne disease if the microorganism is pathogenic. To deal with these threats, sanitizers have been widely applied in food industry. During the last two decades, Electrolyzed Water (EW) has been found to be a promising new sanitizer for food industry, as it is more environmentally friendly compared to conventional chlorine-based disinfectants. This paper reviews the recent progress on the application of EW as a food sanitizer. EW was produced by the electrolysis of diluted NaCl (or HCl) solution and could be classified into several subgroups (acid EW, slightly EW, neutral EW, alkaline EW, low concentration EW) based on their pH and available chlorine concentration. The efficacy of using EW to inhibit the growth of several most important microorganism of food safety concern were proven by numerous studies. Besides, the application of EW has been seldomly associated with detrimental effects on the nutritional and sensory proprieties of food. However, its antimicrobial potency was affected by factors such as pH, temperature, storage time, and organic matters.