Beyond Eradication: Exploring Effective Sanitizers

Although our approach to chemical sanitization has become more efficient and sophisticated one thing has remained constant. Chemicals are potentially dangerous, and if the increasing number of E-Coli, Salmonella and Norovirus outbreaks is an indicator, they are easily misused, or are less effective than we would like them to be.

All of the substances that are covered here fall into a single simple category, poison.

Until recently, there have been few if any alternatives to these useful, effective but often dangerous substances. Today, finally there is a technology that combines three simple elements, water, salt and electricity to create a sanitizer that has proven to be more effective at 50 parts per million than chlorine bleach is at 200 parts per million.

It is known as electrolyzed water. It is effective, safe easy to generate and costs a half cent per gallon. Although prolonged eye exposure or ingestion is not recommended, if it gets into the eyes, limited exposure will not harm them. If it is ingested, there are few, if any, harmful effects beyond killing “good bacteria” in the throat.

This water can be generated in any environment. The process is elegant in its simplicity. Tap water is passed into two chambers, one with a positive electrode, and the other with a negative electrode.

Between the two chambers are a set of ion transfer membranes. A saturated saline solution is passed between the membranes allowing the transport of saline ions into the two chambers. Chloride ions which are negatively charged are attracted to the positive electrical charge and electrochemically converted from Cl to HOCL or hypochlorous acid at a fairly low pH.

The sodium ions are positively charged and are attracted to the negative electrode chamber where water is electrolyzed to form NaOH or a sodium hydroxide solution at a fairly high pH. The solutions exit the respective chambers in separate streams, and can be used for a wide variety of purposes. The hypochlorous acid is a powerful sanitizer which dries, residue free.

The sodium hydroxide is an effective cleaner that can be used to remove dirt and grease from any device or surface in a food service operation. A number of users have documented significant savings in chemical costs, but even greater savings on the cost of soaps and detergents.

This approach, based on advanced electrochemical technology by Electrolyzer Corp. (Woburn, Mass.), is catching on in food service operations throughout the U.S. and the world.

Electrolyzed water is safe for people and the environment; it is as effective as many chemicals and more effective than others. Both streams of electrolyzed water are non-toxic, useful and can save an operation thousands of dollars per year. One chain of pub restaurants has documented an anticipated savings of close to $5,000 per year per operation on the alkaline stream alone to replace or augment their chemical detergents for washing floors, food preparation surfaces and even dishes. As the United Culinary Chef’s Association stated in their newsletter, “Green is coming to our industry, and it is the color of water.”

Dr. Joellen Feirtag is a professor of microbiology in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota (St. Paul, Minn.). Reach her at 612-624-1234 or [email protected].