At present, cold chain logistics is widely used in the food industry to ensure that refrigerated and frozen foods are always kept in a specified low temperature environment in all links from production, storage, transportation, sales to consumption. In recent years, the market demand for cold chain products such as meat, fruits and vegetables, aquatic products, and dairy products in my country has grown rapidly. In 2021, the total demand for food cold chain logistics reached 302 million tons, accounting for about a quarter of the country's total agricultural product output. In the past ten years, the total demand for food cold chain logistics in my country has increased by more than 300%. While the cold chain logistics industry has developed rapidly, the safety of storing and transporting products at low temperatures has also become an issue that cannot be ignored. Foodborne pathogens have become an important issue affecting human health. At present, as many as 250 foodborne diseases have been identified, most of which are transmitted through contaminated food. According to statistics, in the United States, foodborne diseases affect 76 million people each year and cause 5,000 deaths. Most foodborne diseases are related to foodborne pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, etc. Low temperatures are widely used in food transportation and preservation to inhibit the growth and reproduction of microorganisms, but some foodborne pathogens have the ability to survive at low temperatures, which seriously endangers food safety. For example, in 2022, Listeria monocytogenes contaminated ice cream caused a foodborne disease outbreak that has sickened 28 people in 10 states, including one death and 27 hospitalizations.
Listeria monocytogenes is one of the common foodborne pathogens that can grow at temperatures below 2 °C. The ability to survive and grow at low temperatures makes it a serious threat to food safety and public health, such as the 2019 US Flammulina velutipes incident and the 2015 US ice cream incident. Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, which is mainly manifested as meningitis, sepsis, miscarriage, etc. Reports in the past few years have shown that the mortality rate caused by Listeria monocytogenes has continued to increase (from 13.6% in 2017 to 17.6% in 2019). Hemolysin, one of the most important exotoxins secreted by it, can help bacteria in phagocytic vacuoles escape into the cytoplasm to avoid being lysed by phagolysosomes. Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 has become a pathogen of global concern. It can cause hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome, and can survive at refrigerated temperatures (although the bacteria can survive at 4 °C, they basically stop growing, so the temperature of low-temperature culture of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in subsequent experiments is 10 °C). Endotoxin Shiga toxin is the main virulence factor of E. coli O157:H7 and appears to be the main virulence factor causing systemic inflammation and organ dysfunction, and causes acute renal failure and neurological dysfunction.
In order to give full play to the advantages of acidic electrolyzed water in the field of food preservation, many researchers combine it with other technologies to achieve better sterilization and preservation effects. Among them, some scholars combined acidic electrolyzed water (4 mg/L) and levulinic acid (LA, 3% v/v) to treat fresh organic lettuce during storage. The test results proved that the combination was effective against aerobic bacteria, yeast, Molds, Escherichia coli and Lactobacilli showed significant bactericidal effects and ensured the quality of lettuce. In addition , some scholars have also successfully extended the shelf life of red dates during refrigerated storage by combining hypochlorous acid water with modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), inhibited oxidative damage, and slowed down postharvest aging. Finally, Xu Yu et al.’s research on using HOCL water combined with ultrasound to treat Listeria and Vibrio parahaemolyticus also showed that ultrasound can better disperse bacteria and is conducive to the comprehensive killing of bacteria by acidic electrolyzed water .
Figure 1 Bactericidal effects of different treatments on aerobic mesophilic counts (A), yeast and mold (B) during storage of organic lettuce (DW: deionized water LA: levulinic acid AEW: acidic electrolyzed water combination: AEW+LA)
What are the specific application cases of slightly acidic electrolyzed water in cold chain disinfection?
In terms of cold chain disinfection, slightly acidic electrolyzed water is widely used for disinfection during food processing and storage due to its high efficiency, broad-spectrum bactericidal ability and protective effect on the physical quality, nutritional quality and sensory characteristics of food. Compared with traditional chemical disinfectants, HOCL water has the advantages of safety, non-toxicity, low production cost and good storage stability, so it has attracted more and more attention at home and abroad.
Air disinfection: In cold chain warehouses or transport vehicles, hypochlorous acid water can be used for air disinfection to reduce bacteria and viruses in the air and ensure the safety of food and medicine.
Disinfection of broken skin: When handling cold chain food, if workers accidentally come into contact with broken skin, they can use slightly acidic electrolyzed water for disinfection to prevent infection.
Hand disinfection: Cold chain workers can use slightly acidic electrolyzed water to disinfect their hands before and after operations to ensure hygiene and safety during the operation.
Body surface disinfection: Under special circumstances, such as emergencies during cold chain transportation, slightly acidic electrolyzed water can also be used to disinfect the body surface of cold chain workers.
What research or data supports the evaluation of the effectiveness of slightly acidic electrolyzed water in disinfecting food processing equipment?
Sterilization effect:
HOCL water has a rapid and broad-spectrum bactericidal effect. According to the test certification of the authoritative CMA organization, SAEW has a killing rate of 99.99% against E. coli, bacteria and fungi, and a killing rate of 99.99% against spores.
In the disinfection of food processing equipment, SAEW exhibits highly efficient sterilization capabilities, with most microorganisms killed within 1 minute.
Security:
SAEW is colorless and transparent, non-toxic and non-irritating when taken orally, and can be used to disinfect skin and mucous membranes. It returns to water after use, with no residue or pollution, and complies with the standards of the US FDA and the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare.
After oral toxicity tests in mice, rabbit eye irritation tests, metal corrosion tests, etc., SAEW has been proven to be safe, does not damage chromosomes, and is non-corrosive to stainless steel.
Freshness preservation effect:
Research shows that SAEW treatment can effectively control the growth of microorganisms during the storage period of fresh rice noodles, thereby extending the shelf life. Within 0 to 24 hours, the total number of bacterial colonies on the surface of the control group samples increased significantly, while the total number of bacterial colonies on the surface of the test group samples increased slowly, indicating that SAEW treatment can extend the shelf life of fresh rice noodles by about 16 hours.
Optimal parameter optimization research based on response surface analysis showed that the optimal parameters for SAEW treatment to achieve the best effect on microbial sterilization on the surface of fresh rice noodles are effective chlorine mass concentration 32 mg/L, soaking time 9 minutes, and material-liquid ratio 1:11 g /mL.
Wide range of applications:
SAEW not only performs well in the disinfection of food processing equipment, but is also widely used in medical equipment, hand hygiene, skin and mucous membranes, oral treatment and other fields.
In the food industry, electrolyzed water (including SAEW) has proven to be an effective disinfectant, capable of reducing or eliminating bacteria on food products, tableware and non-food contact surfaces.
Additional research support:
Other literature reviews also pointed out that electrolyzed water (including SAEW) has significant effects in inhibiting and inactivating a variety of bacteria and fungi, and is suitable for disinfecting food surfaces such as vegetables, fruits, and meat.
The study also showed that SAEW also exhibited good disinfection effects on plastic and wooden kitchen knives, and its inhibitory effect on aerobic microorganisms was also verified in the process of maintaining the freshness and stability of vegetables.
What are the research results on the safety and environmental impact assessment of slightly acidic electrolyzed water?
Safety Assessment:
The cytotoxicity study of slightly acidic electrolyzed water on oral keratinized epithelial monolayer cells showed that SAEW showed no cytotoxicity to TR146 cells under conditions simulating salivary protein concentration levels. Specifically, when the BSA concentration was 0.5-2 mg/mL, the relative growth rate (RGR) of the SAEW-treated group was close to 100%, and no cytotoxicity was observed.
In another study, CCK-8 assay and trypan blue exclusion assay showed that SAEW pretreated with bovine serum albumin showed no cytotoxicity at different effective chlorine concentrations and exposure times, indicating that SAEW had no cytotoxic effect on oral epithelial cells in the oral saliva environment.
According to the standards of the Shanghai Indoor Environment Purification Industry Association, slightly acidic hypochlorous acid water has virtually non-toxic acute oral toxicity, acute inhalation toxicity, negative mutagenicity test, and no irritation in skin irritation test and eye irritation test.
Environmental Impact Assessment:
Research by the Japan Society for Preservation of Hydrangea shows that the concentration of available chlorine detected in pipes using slightly acidic electrolyzed water is higher, but no significant growth in the number of colonies after culture is found, indicating that it has a good disinfection effect.
In another study, the experimental results of slightly acidic electrolyzed water used for disinfection of flower petals showed that although biological contamination occurred in some samples, overall SAEW was able to effectively disinfect all culture media.
Based on the above research results, the application of slightly acidic electrolyzed water in oral medicine and environmental purification is considered safe and has good microbial killing effect.
BLUEWAV slightly acidic electrolyzed anolyte /HOCL water protects the nutritional components and sensory properties of food?
BLUEWAV slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) is a product generated by electrolyzing a dilute NaCl solution or dilute hydrochloric acid to produce a redox reaction. Its pH value is usually between 5.0 and 6.5, and its main component is strongly oxidizing hypochlorous acid. SAEW has the advantages of high sterilization efficiency, safety and non-toxicity, low production cost, and good storage stability, so it has been widely used in the field of food preservation and disinfection.
Features:
pH value: The generated SAEW has acidic properties with a pH value between 5.0 and 6.5.
Available chlorine concentration: The available chlorine concentration (ACC) of SAEW can be controlled by adjusting the electrolysis conditions. The common ACC range is 10 to 300 mg/L.
Environmental protection: Compared with traditional oxidizing potential water, SAEW does not produce by-products such as ozone, which is environmentally friendly and safe for the human body.
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