Combined application of electrolysed water and ultrasound to improve the sanitation of knives in the meat industry

Abstract

Summary This study investigated the effect of the combination of basic electrolysed water (BEW) and slightly acid electrolysed water (SAEW) with ultrasound (US) for cleaning and sanitation of the knives used in slaughtering processes. The knives were sonicated in a US bath using two modes of operation (normal and sweep) in two steps: (i) 5 min with BEW and (ii) 10 min with SAEW at 35 °C. The microbiological counts and the possible changes in the physical structure of the knives were evaluated. The association BEW + SAEW + US, in the sweep mode, provided lower mesophilic, enterobacterial, Staphylococcus aureus and yeast counts when compared to the values recommended by the international legislation. In addition, these conditions removed all organic residues from the knife blades and promoted the highest migration rate of the residues to the US water bath (12.35 mg/L·min), without modifications in the knife blades. Thus, cleaning and sanitation of knives was feasible with the association of BEW + SAEW + US, which could be a useful alternative for the meat industry.

Effects of ultrasound-assisted basic electrolyzed water (BEW) extraction on structural and functional properties of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) proteins

“…At present, BEW is the by-product of acidic electrolyzed water (AEW) which has a wide range of applications in food, agriculture, aquaculture, livestock industries [8] , [9] . Additionally, BEW also possesses excellent functional characteristics, including typically higher pH > 12.0 and redox potential (ORP, −800 to −900 mV) [10] , [11] . More importantly, BEW has a broad-spectrum ability of anti-bacteria and enzyme inactivation, which can effectively prevent the products from degradation [11] , [12] .…”

“…More importantly, BEW has a broad-spectrum ability of anti-bacteria and enzyme inactivation, which can effectively prevent the products from degradation [11] , [12] . Furthermore, its negative redox potential can protect the active groups of proteins from oxidation and improve the quality of end products [10] , [13] . Therefore, there is an urgent need for the development of BEW in food industry.…”

Effectiveness of alkaline electrolyzed water in reducing bacterial load on surfaces intended to come into contact with food

“…In literature no other work evaluated the efficacy of REW alone in reducing the microbial load on stainless steel surfaces; other authors evaluated its efficacy in association with SAEW and ultrasound to improve the sanitation of knives in the meat industry, but due to the different treatments applied we could not compare the data (Brasil et al , 2020 ).…”

Alkaline electrolyzed water AS a potential green degreaser for meat processing stainless steel surface

“…The meat industry faces challenges in removing FOG residues from equipment surfaces (Brasil et al, 2020; Khalid, Ab. Aziz, & Taip, 2020).…”

“…These solutions had the potential to replace sodium hypochlorite as a disinfecting agent. However, Brasil et al (2020) investigated the effectiveness of AlEW, followed by sAcEW, for sanitation of the stainless steel surface of meat knives used in slaughtering procedures. The findings indicated that cleaning and disinfecting meat knives were possible using the combination of AlEW followed by sAcEW aided by ultrasound without any changes to the blades.…”