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Biozone Manufacturing

Ozone Listeria Treatment and Inactivation

Listrai/Listeriosis
Listrai/Listeriosis

Ozone Listeria Control & Prevention

Ozone can be used for the reduction, or elimination of L. monocytogenes on food products

Listeriosis is caused by a species names of bacteria named  L. monocytogenes. This results in a serious infection caused by eating food contaminated with this strain.

The disease can be deadly and will pose a greater risk to those with weakened immune systems. Both L. monocytogenes, and Liseteriosis, are commonly known only as Listeria, and Listeria illness.

Listeria is found in soils, which can lead to fruit and vegetable contamination. Listeria can also be found in all types of meat products, milk, and eggs. Higher risk foods are any uncooked or undercooked foods, unpasteurised milk, raw vegetables, and some ready-to-eat foods such as polony

Listeria information

Ozone must be applied in specific ways to eliminate Listeria or any other bacteria

Ozone Water rinse

The most common method of using ozone for pathogen reduction is By dissolving ozone into water pathogen reduction on contaminated surfaces is entirely possible. Aqueous ozone is very stable, safe, and easy to manage. Ozone is dissolved into water using either a bubble system or circulation system with a venturi and then the treated ozonised water is sprayed onto the surface requiring disinfection. This surface may be a hard equipment surface, or the surface of a food product.

Dissolved ozone at 0.4 and 0.8 ppm can inactivate 4.6 and 5.7 log CFU/ml within 30 seconds with faster more immediate results possible with higher ozone concentrations or longer exposure times.

Dissolved ozone can be sprayed on food and produce using sprayers, or other spraying methods.Sufficient contact time can be applied on a conveyor belt, to allow full coverage of the aqueous ozone on the product. It is important that all of the produce is contacted by the aqueous ozone to achieve desired antimicrobial intervention. Contact times can be varied by altering conveyor speeds, spray tip design, and spray bar design/quantity. If water is already used in an application to wash produce it is very simple to add ozone to this water and achieve an antimicrobial intervention step without any major changes to the current processes.

To simulate this in the home it is possible to use the Aquazone ABS kitchen food rinser or water purifier

Ozone in air to kill pathogens

Gaseous ozone can also eliminate pathogens in the air surrounding fresh produce.  The application of gaseous ozone is dependent upon the temperature, humidity, contact time, and ozone levels.

Produce in need of disinfection can be placed in chambers, rooms, or even cargo containers for ozone treatment. A sealed area that can contain the produce and ozone gas while maintaining human safety will work. It is necessary to assure sufficient air movement past each piece of produce. Ozone levels from 1.0 – 100 ppm are used in this application with contact times from 20 minutes to 10 hours.

Resolution Concerning the Use of Ozone in Food Processing

Source: Dee Graham, “Ozone as an Antimicrobial Agent for the Treatment, Storage and Processing of Foods in Gas and Aqueous Phases”, August 2, 2000.

The Use of Ozone as an effective sanitizer and disinfectant worldwide beginning in France in 1902 and has been documented in an Expert Panel Report entitled “Evaluation of the History and Safety of Ozone in Processing Food for Human Consumption”. This Declaration of GRAS Status for Use of Ozone in Food Processing was presented to FDA on April 10, 1997 and published thereafter in the scientific literature and the trade press.

Numerous ozone applications have been installed throughout the food industry in the United States during the past two years. The benefits to public food safety are major, especially related to the food hazards identified in the President’s Food Safety Initiative. These include newer pathogens such as E. coli0157:H7, Listeria, and resistant cyst formers such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia, all of which are inactivated effectively by ozonation.