Ozonation, a novel bio-preservation technique for food processing in food industries

Application of ozone as a replacement to traditional sanitizers requires thorough understanding of its benefits and limitations; in some food a lesser log reduction rate is observable virtually less than the required 5log reduction rate. Ozone’s ability to destroy microorganisms is through the oxidation of some important cellular components, specifically the bacterial cell surface being the major target, ozone does not significantly affect the nutrients contents or sensory qualities in food; it has lesser effect on increasing temperature of food during processing, ozonation is an effective technology in extending the shelf-life of fruit and vegetables, rinsing or dipping vegetables in water saturated with ozone is a positive method. Onions treated with ozone during storage was positive, mold and bacterial populations was greatly decreased and no any sign of change in chemical composition and sensory quality of the product. Ozone has great advantage in the food industry; it is sufficiently soluble and stable in water with high antimicrobial activity, no need for storage of hazardous substances when used it, has low running cost with no residual problems after treatment and it autodecomposes and its stable end-product is oxygen so the by product is virtually oxygen. However, ozone’s limitation is still a threat in the food industry, it has the ability to desolubilize or decompose, or react with food constituents and targeted microorganisms. The reaction and the degradation of ozone diminish the residuals of this sanitizer during processing and subsequently lack of residuals could limit the ability of the processor’s for in-line testing of effectiveness. This paper reviewed the different application of ozone in the food industry.