Palm | Kelapa Sawit

ABSTRACT: The potential utility of ozone in food processing lies in the fact that ozone is a 52% stronger oxidant than chlorine. The widespread use of chlorine by the US food industry is under scrutiny and the acceptance of chlorine as the primary sanitizing agent for food process operations is being reconsidered by many processors and regulators. 

By US law, ozone is classified as a food additive thus its use in or on food is regulated. This classification disallows for ozone's use as a direct contact food sanitizing agent. However, quite recently the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been petitioned for the acceptance of ozone as a Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) substance. Prior to the regulatory acceptance of ozone as a direct contact food sanitizer, water containing an ozone residual can not be applied to food. This is not to imply that ozone has no other useful agricultural applications. Numerous agricultural applications exist aside from the use of ozone as a sanitizing agent for commodities or produce. The focus of this work is to determine the efficacy of ozone as a chlorine replacement in the sanitation of whole, fresh fruits and vegetables. A 200 gallon flume wash test system was constructed in the fruit and vegetables pilot plant of the Food Science and Nutrition Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Research studies, using ozone in pure water as a direct contact sanitizing agent have been conducted on several agricultural commodities and the results are promising. In the washing of broccoli with water containing up to I ppm dissolved ozone, the contact time (CT) necessary for a one log-fold reduction in aerobic plate count microorganisms was 6.0 minutes. Ozone is an effective germicide and many studies over the years have demonstrated greater lethality rates, however, contact times may be too excessive for some fast-paced industrial operations. Relationships between lethality rate and higher ozone concentrations, or combining ozone with other germicidal processes or pro-oxidants have not yet been conducted. Regard less, the utilization of ozone by the food processing industries will continue to grow, especially in light of the fact that ozone is gaining industry acceptance and limitations are being imposed on the use of chlorine and other chemical sanitizing agents. Ozone does not leave a chemical residual and for some industrial sanitizing operations this may be seen as a disadvantage. But, when it comes to our food supply, no residual, and fewer residual by-products is a distinct advantage.