We’ve covered the use of Ozone for Grain Storage in a previous blog. Today we’re going to talk about the role ozone can play in another type of food storage: cold storage facilities. Cold storage facilities can preserve perishable food such as vegetables, fruits, meat and aquatic products. They play important roles in storage industry. But at the same time, the basic characteristics of cold storage facilities are high humidity and low temperature. They make cold storage facilities optimal places for mold growth. Therefore, in the use and management of cold storage facilities, effective sterilization is a crucial daily work. Otherwise, the growth and development of mold may easily lead to food decay and deterioration, bringing economic losses.
When choosing the ideal sterilization method, an ozone generator is definitely the best choice. Ozone has the advantages of strong oxidization, no by-products or secondary pollution, and easy operation. Today, the application of ozone sterilization has been technically mature. So is the manufacture of ozone generating equipment. For its strong oxidization property, ozone sterilization has been adopted by more and more cold storage facilities. Today, we will talk about how ozone sterilization is applied in cold storage facilities.
Operation of Ozone Sterilization in Cold Storage Facilities
Normally, the ozone concentration used for cold storage facility sterilization should reach 6-10 PPM. During the operation, ozone is provided through an ozone generator. In order to ensure the effective sterilization in a cold storage facility, the completion of the process usually needs to ensure that the facility be closed for over 24 hours. According to a test, in the case of closure for 24 hours, ozone’s killing rate on bacteria can reach 90%, while its killing rate on mold can reach 80%. When the facility is closed, ozone’s sterilization effect can last over 48 hours after the ozone generator is turned off.
The Main Characteristics of Ozone Sterilization
1. Full-scale Sterilization without Dead Angles
Since ozone is in the form of gas under normal condition, it can reach every corner of the sterilization area when it is used. In cold storage facilities, many kinds of vegetables, fruits, or other food materials may be placed very close with each other. So, the space between them tends to be quite limited. Ozone gas will be suitable to play a bactericidal role in this case. And after the sterilization process, ozone gas will break down into oxygen, leaving no harmful residues. Furthermore, different from other sterilization methods, air ventilation is not required when ozone sterilization is finished in a cold storage facility. This will avoid the problem of bringing new harmful microorganisms back into the cold storage facility through air ventilation, which commonly exists in other sterilization methods.
2. Take Advantage of the Humidity in a Cold Storage Facility
The basic functions of a cold storage facility determine that it is a place with low temperature and humidity all the year round. And higher humidity speeds up the growth of bacteria and microorganisms. One characteristic of ozone sterilization is that the greater the environmental humidity, the better the ozone sterilization effect will be. Therefore, it can be concluded that ozone is the best sterilization solution in high humidity environments. This will greatly improve the preservation effect of fruits, vegetables and other food materials.
3. Remove Odors
The presence of a variety of fruits, vegetables in a cold storage facility also leads to the emergence of odors. Ozone is also better at removing these odors than other methods. It will remove the odors in the air and the odors that have penetrated into the construction materials in wall, floor, and the ceiling. Compared with the traditional sterilization with chemicals such as peracetic acid, ozone can achieve a better effect. It is also more convenient and safer than the use of peracetic acid and other chemical sterilization methods. Ozone sterilization simply requires only one step to finish the work.
Another advantage of ozone sterilization over the other treatments is that when ozone is needed, it will be generated instantly by an ozone generator. So, there will be no storage concerns for any chemical products. In addition, a cold storage facility is a place where there are often goods in and out. When new goods are at the gate, sterilization is a must. At this point, ozone, by virtue of its convenient use, can quickly sterilize these incoming goods. This will improve the work efficiency of the maintenance and management personnel in the cold storage facilities, which is very important for the basic function of the facilities.
Ozone sterilization in cold storage facilities is just one of the many ozone applications. If you want to learn more about Ozone, please refer to our previous Blog: An Introduction of Ozone. In addition to the important role ozone can play in food storage field, it also performs very well in kitchen or furniture odor removal, swimming pool water treatment and bottled water treatment, etc.
