Herbs And Spices Ozone Disinfection: Here Is What To Know

Herbs and Spices play a crucial role in our lives and are abundant in variety. Aroma, flavor, and taste are added to a range of products, including food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Products are picked up, stored, cleaned, processed, and used whole, crushed, or in different sizes depending on what application they are used for. It is necessary to preserve certain herbs and spices for a longer period of time to avoid deterioration. These valuable resources are under much less risk of decay and spoilage today because of herbs and spices ozone disinfection.

herbs-and-spices-ozone-disinfection

Herbs and Spices are not exempt from microbiological contamination in the form of bacteria, viruses, and pathogens which multiply and multiply at a rapid rate when certain environmental conditions are met.  

In this blog post, a perfect solution – “Ozone” – will be described, which is extensively used by many businesses around the world for preserving and extending the shelf life of food items.

What is Ozone?

Biological control agents such as ozone, which is a converted form of oxygen, are extremely powerful because of their high oxidizing properties. Ozone is an effective disinfection and treatment method that leaves no chemical residue or harmful substances behind.

Storage and Preservation

Microorganisms, which can live on spices, herbs, fruit, and dried fruits, are always present on food items. A bacterial population grows at a slower rate at higher or lower temperatures, but at normal temperatures, bacteria multiply very rapidly and a micro load develops on the food. In terms of keeping products fresh and preserving their durability, products are adversely affected.

Different commodities require different temperatures for cold preservation. The temperature in the meat and meat products storage room is -20 to -30°C, whereas the temperature in the spice, herb, and dry fruit storage room is 5o to 10°C. Food items remain fresh for a longer period of time when the preservation temperature is low, which inhibits bacterial growth. In any case, ozone generators can disinfect the products stored in storage rooms or cold rooms.

Fumigation vs Ozone

fumigation-vs-ozone

For the elimination of micro-organisms or the maintenance of bacteria-free conditions, different chemicals are used in storage, processing, and cold storage. Moreover, since fumigation is a manual process, it provides inconsistent disinfection and affects the products’ aromas, tastes, and appearances. Also, following fumigation is highly inconvenient for workers, as well as harmful to those who consume the products.

There is also the problem of weight loss due to a loss in moisture content. Humidifiers are used to counteract this problem. Lack of illumination and high humidity cause micro-contaminations to grow more rapidly.

Must Check Out: Portable Ozone Generator Air Purifier

As fumigants are applied manually, it is impossible to control the quantity precisely so that the process results in inconsistent disinfection and the irritating chemicals will remain on the products. It may take 6 to 12 hours for the fumigants to be effective. The fumigants need time to penetrate the area. The food is also harmful to the individuals using the equipment and the people consuming it. In several countries, fumigants are being restricted, and schedules are being developed for their gradual elimination. A growing number of chemicals are being banned. So the ideal solution in this situation in using an ozone generator.

Even a small amount of Ozone can significantly reduce spoilage microbes in the environment. Microbiological contamination on the surface of spices, herbs, and dry fruits can also be reduced if they are exposed to controlled concentrations of Ozone. For a longer shelf life or preservation period, ozone generator is an ideal solution.

Commonly Used Techniques in the Food Preservation

A number of new techniques have been developed in recent years. Nitrogen is generally used in cold storage to maintain an inert atmosphere. This can be accomplished by using a nitrogen gas generator. Fruits that have been preserved generate ethylene, which accelerates ripening. CO2 concentration also plays a crucial role in ripening. As a result, it is necessary to control the amount of ethylene and carbon dioxide.

Moving forward, ozone generator is highly effective for preserving items. It may not be technologically or economically viable to employ controlled environments in all applications.

Herbs and Spices can be preserved in controlled ozone environments at low or normal temperatures. This technique is very effective and economical. Storage space is maintained in an ozone-controlled environment which improves preservation conditions and limits microorganism growth.

How Microbial are Controlled by Ozone

In addition to being a powerful oxidizer, ozone also acts as an efficient Broad-Spectrum Microbiological Control Substance. As soon as it comes into contact with air or food it destroys Bacteria, Viruses, Cysts and Pathogens within seconds.  

Ozone can significantly slow down the growth of microbes and bacteria that cause spoilage. Hence, even at slightly higher temperatures than the usual preservation temperature generally maintained in a Cold Storage, if a controlled environment of Ozone is maintained, bacterial growth can be prevented.

Why do Cold Storage Room Facilities Use Ozone?

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  • Ozone in cold storage has the following benefits:
  • When Ozone is controlled in a cold storage, the commodity can be maintained at the same or better state of preservation at temperatures that are about 2-8o C higher than normal low temperatures.  
  • At the same preservation temperature, preserving food in an oxygen environment will increase its preservation duration by fifteen percent to forty percent.
  • Cold storage will have less odor than before.

Can You Maintain Ozone Concentration?

Ozone concentrations between 0.05 and 0.08 PPM are sufficient for sterilizing the required space. It is possible to increase the ozone concentration to as high as 0.3 – 2.0 ppm in special cases if humans are not present.

Bottom Line

The ozone generator produces ozone and diffuses it into the atmosphere in controlled quantities. There must be a controlled amount of ozone released into the environment. The air is continuously sterilized, making it a safe process. It is approved by FDA, USA and other countries and leaves no effect on workers or products.

Also Read: Benefits Of Ozone Generator For Viruses And Bacteria Removal

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