Electrolyzed water (EW) is gaining popularity as a sanitizer in the food industries of many countries. By electrolysis, a dilute sodium chloride solution dissociates into acidic electrolyzed water (AEW), which has a pH of 2 to 3, an oxidationreduction potential of >1,100 mV, and an active chlorine content of 10 to 90 ppm, and basic electrolyzed water (BEW), which has a pH of 10 to 13 and an oxidation-reduction potential of -800 to -900 mV. Vegetative cells of various bacteria in suspension were generally reduced by >6.0 log CFU/ml when AEW was used. However, AEW is a less effective bactericide on utensils, surfaces, and food products because of factors such as surface type and the presence of organic matter. Reductions of bacteria on surfaces and utensils or vegetables and fruits mainly ranged from about 2.0 to 6.0 or 1.0 to 3.5 orders of magnitude, respectively. Higher reductions were obtained for tomatoes. For chicken carcasses, pork, and fish, reductions ranged from about 0.8 to 3.0, 1.0 to 1.8, and 0.4 to 2.8 orders of magnitude, respectively. Considerable reductions were achieved with AEW on eggs. On some food commodities, treatment with BEW followed by AEW produced higher reductions than did treatment with AEW only. EW technology deserves consideration when discussing industrial sanitization of equipment and decontamination of food products. Nevertheless, decontamination treatments for food products always should be considered part of an integral food safety system. Such treatments cannot replace strict adherence to good manufacturing and hygiene practices.

Standard-molded, one piece O-ring food processing plant gaskets (1.5 in or 36.1 mm diameter) made of seven different substances (Buna N, white Buna N, EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer), polyethylene, silicone rubber, PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene or Teflon) and steam-resistant Viton) were treated with chlorine sanitizer or ozonated water. After treatment, only very slight differences were noted visually between control and treated gaskets. Measurements indicated that ozone treatment affected the tensile strength of EPDM and Viton, but not significantly more than chlorine treatment. The tensile strengths of other gasket materials were not significantly affected by ozone treatment. The elasticity of ozone-treated PTFE gaskets was significantly different from chlorine-treated PTFE gaskets. Other gasket materials were not significantly affected by ozone treatment.