Food Preservation & Storage

The reduction and control of pathogens are essential on fresh food products like meats, fish, fruits and vegetables from farm to table. Bacteria, molds, viruses and other single-cell creatures cause spoilage of fresh foods and decrease shelf-life.

Fruits and vegetables can be contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms while growing in the fields or orchards, or during harvesting, post harvest handling, process and distribution. Pathogens capable of causing human diseases include bacteria, viruses and parasites that are present in the water use for irrigation or in the soil in which they are grown. These pathogens have been proven to exist and are a concern on in international scale.

The use of ozone in the processing of foods has recently come to the forefront as a result of the recent approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approving the use of ozone as an anti-microbial agent for food treatment, storage and processing. 

Benefits of Ozone:

• Extends the shelf life of food products.
• Is much safer for employees than any conventional chemicals.
• Eliminates all chemical usage and is chemical-free, without the chemical by-products of chlorination.
• Eliminates the use of hot water and conventional sanitizer.
• Washing of fish with ozonated water extended shelf life for 5 days.
• Gaseous ozone was used as a preservation agent in meat and egg storage.
• Disinfection and Preservation of Fruits and Vegetables
• Ozone is effective killing microorganisms through oxidation of their cell membranes and most of the pathogenic, food borne microbes is susceptible to this oxidizing effect.
• The use of ozone does not leave any toxic by-products or residues, does not affect healthy cells or alter the food's chemistry, and is non-carcinogenic.