The meat processing industry has numerous applications for ozone. Among its uses are sanitizing areas where meat is processed and sanitizing the utensils used in those processes. By injecting ozone in cold storage rooms where meat is stored, the average preservation time can be extended and organic odors can be reduced. Using ozone in cold storage prevents products from losing weight due to drops in humidity.

Ozone for Meat Processing

According to recent reports in the media, food contamination has been reported in several grocery stores in the United States, which underscores the importance of ensuring the safety of food products through improved and more effective methods. A vast majority of cases have been associated with pathogens found in fruits, meats, shellfish, and other foods. These pathogens typically include Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritis, and Listeria monocytogenes.         

An organic-compliant oxidizing agent, ozone is a powerful oxidizing agent. It just offer the perfect solution to help you be more productive, enjoy a better taste, look, and feel. More consumers are demanding convenient, high-quality produce. Food service providers are no different.

The challenge is how to meet those requirements. If you change the way you process your fresh-cut produce, you can dramatically extend the shelf life and improve the appearance of the products. Ozone can help you out in this situation. The ozone-based cleaning and disinfection of produce is superior to traditional methods that leave residue chemicals and impart off flavors and odors.

A highly effective disinfectant, ozone is the triatomic form of oxygen. Compared to chlorine, ozone has an oxidizing power one and a half times greater, and it is 3000 times more reactive. In the food processing industry, ozone is used as a disinfectant and oxidizer because of its potent disinfectant and oxidizing powers. Microorganisms are not poisoned by ozone, but instead destroyed through oxidation. In other words, oxidation is difficult for microorganisms to resist.

Ozone Applications for Meat Processing

Here are some of the notable applications of ozone for meat processing industry.

• Poultry Farms and Equipment
• Ozone Treatment of Wastewater
• Meat and Poultry
• Fish and Shellfish Preservation
• Ozone in cold storage for meats

Ozone in Beef Industry

An ozone application in the beef industry in a recent study measured improvements in storage quality, decreased aerobic, mesophilic, coliform, and sulfite-suppressing anaerobic bacteria, and extended the shelf life of meat.

According to research, showering the meat with ozonized water results in a greater reduction of aerobic organisms than classical washing methods.

When 10-20 *g / litre of ozone is used in warehouses, meat retain their freshness for 30 to 40% longer. An attempt was made to determine how ozone affected the microorganisms on the meat surface in another study. Researchers found that meat stored at 2,5-6 ° C and 92-95% relative humidity prevented the development of several genera in the Enterobacteriaceae family.

It was also found that ozonation of cattle meat at a temperature of 1.6 °C and a relative humidity of 95% prevented microbial growth on the surface of the meat for 9 days (0.03 ppm). Ozone was found to stop microbial growth on the surface of beef for a few days in another study, improve sensory quality, and reduce volatile nitrogenous compounds in stored beef.

When used in low concentrations and for short periods of time, ozone has antimicrobial properties that can kill bacteria, mold, yeast, parasites, and viruses.

Furthermore, ozone facilitates lipid oxidation without altering its sensory characteristics, as it does not change the color of the meat, does not produce unwanted odors, and prolongs its shelf life. In a nutshell, more effective disinfection is achieved when ozone is applied for a longer time and when the pH and temperature are lowered.

Poultry Industry

Likewise, ozone has been tested in the poultry industry as a disinfectant for incubators and eggs, while cured meats can rely on ozone as a sanitizer and thus contribute to environmental control without using chemical products that may leave residues behind.

Ozone is Proven Effective

Antimicrobial agents are most effective when ozone is used. In the process, it converts into ordinary oxygen, leaving no chemical residue behind. It kills E. coli 3,125 times faster than chlorine.

The meat processing industry can benefit from ozone technology in many ways. Ozonation is an efficient process even at ambient temperatures. It is easy to recycle treated water through ozonation, and only minimal filtration is required. Packing and processing plants can also the use ozonated water.

Ozonated water can be used anywhere water is running through pipes. The use of higher levels of ozonated water goes beyond just actually touching food products, as it can be used for cleaning off equipment, conveyor belts, and hooks.

Low-level ozone generators are also used by companies as continuous pathogen control solutions due to their safety and reliability.  Hygiene systems that are continuously maintained.

Mold, fungus, bacteria, and mildew can be controlled by using low-level ozone in liquid or gaseous form. It can be used in cold storage rooms and holding rooms to combat mold, fungus, bacteria and mildew.

When oxygen attacks and oxidizes the cells of an organism, it destroys its pathogens. There may be spores, active conditions, or amoebae (or microorganisms). The double-carbon bonds in pathogens are responsible for holding their molecular structure together, so any microorganism exposed to ozone will not merely become benign in the water, but will also be completely vaporized. Due to the effect of ozone, that molecular chain will be broken down until nothing remains but carbon dioxide and water.

It has been approved by the FDA and has proven to be very effective in disinfecting equipment and food products for the meat processing industry.

Bottom Line

It has been possible to replace older potable water sprays on processing belts due to the adoption of ozone generator technology. It inhibits the growth of bacteria on production belts and prevents contamination of meat products (having no residual effects on equipment or meat being processed). This eliminates the need for chemical sanitizers.

At Ozongenerators, we specialize in designing and manufacturing ozone generators that are safe and environmentally friendly. Check out our best ozone generators for meat processing here.