Ozone air treatment using ozone generators can be used to eliminate and reduce bacteria, fungi, pores and other microbiological contamination in the bakery processing area. Moreover, it increases freshness and eliminates unwanted odors. This article covers various benefits of using an ozone generator for bakery and food processing.

Ozone Generator For Bakery

It can be used in the pre-packaging stage while preparing the products, as well as when storing products. During ozone treatment, bacteria levels greatly decrease and pathogens such as listeria and other pathogens are significantly reduced, which extends the shelf life of the products.

In addition to products being processed, the production equipment used in the process can also be treated simultaneously, increasing the efficiency of the process. Other than ready to eat bakery products, the ozone treatment is also safe for products that need to be cooked for a longer period of time. Because ozone is able to eliminate harmful bacteria, which causes potato rot, problems with rotten products are drastically reduced when harvested products are stored using ozone.

Ozone treatment can be used between the stages of production, storage, and packaging to eliminate bacteria, mold, fungi, and viruses. By using ozone, airborne spores, bacteria and viruses can be protected and eliminated. There are multiple phases of food storage in which bacteria and viruses can be eliminated, including warehouses, cold storage, transport vehicles and silos.

Ozone For Food Processing

Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) has a 3,000-fold oxidizing potential, while ozone has 1.5 times that of chlorine. Chlorine has a contact time of 4-5 times less than antimicrobial action. 

With practical and safe concentrations of ozone, it is more effective than chlorine against plant and animal pathogens and parasites with thick walls.

In comparison to organic reaction products and residues created with chlorine applications, ozone does not produce toxic chlorinated hydrocarbons, trihalomethanes (such as chloroform), and other chlorinated disinfection by-products.

Ozone has been studied as a postharvest disease control and storage solution. Commodities like apples, cherries, carrots, garlic, kiwis, onions, potatoes, table grapes, and plums have used ozone solutions commercially.

In the case of storage, the greatest benefit is the substantial reduction in microorganism production on infected products and the elimination of secondary spread from infected products to adjacent products. As part of controlling the growth room air, the grow room industry uses ozone as well.

Generally, ozone treatments have the greatest economic benefit when stored produce is sorted before shipping or re-packaged after short-term storage to remove decayed products. For sizing purposes, wood surfaces, fiberboard, urethane insulation, and other corrugated materials in the storage facility will further add to the need for ozone application, thus decreasing the delivered dose. Direct and indirect benefits may result from ozone treatments in cold storage rooms or facilities. Diverse ethylene sensitive commodities have been found to be kept longer in storage after ozone destruction in air filtration systems.

Temperature, humidity, and cleanliness are easily maintained in a warehouse or cold storage. Maintaining safety and hygiene is much more challenging. Maintaining a low micro trial count is essential to ensuring shelf life & quality are not greatly affected. Mold, fungi, air bone bacteria & viruses are the main challenges in warehouses & cold storage.

Ozone For Cold Storage Rooms

By using controlled doses of gaseous ozone, mold, fungi, and microorganism growth can be greatly controlled. Mold and fungi could not grow in ozonated cold storage initially. Using ozone to remove mold, fungi, and odor from food starts the process of recovering them. In cold storage, opening is slowed by lower temperatures. The ripening process of some fruits like apple and banana is accelerated by ethylene gas released from the fruit during slow ripening. Using ozone in cold storage slows the ripening process by reacting with ethylene.

There are various types of foods stored in cold storage rooms, including vegetables, fruits, meats, and seafood. These foods are stored at temperatures between low and very cold. In a cold environment, any food product will breed bacteria, since it is highly degradable. Foods under storage are attacked by atmospheric bacteria that anchor to their surfaces.

As the bacteria spread, the food slowly decays. As with ambient temperatures that are higher, this process of decaying is faster in cold storage rooms due to the lower temperature. The growth of bacteria in the environment surrounding the foods must be controlled. By using disinfectants, bacterial activity can be controlled, but the disinfectants must not contaminate the food. The use of ozone in cold storage rooms has proven to be extremely effective.

Consequently, ozone generators are undoubtedly the best way to protect refrigeration chambers. It is highly recommended to apply it when storing fruits and vegetables, or in the meat and fish industries, because it leaves no residue. It’s not only that ozone generators camouflage odors; they also destroy the molecules on which they are based, leaving behind a deodorized cold room. 

Due to the fact that ozone completely destroys microbes, disinfection is absolute. Stored foods do not acquire any flavor or odor from its use. In this way, ozone is very effective in the preservation of meats, fishes, fruits, and vegetables, since it extends their shelf life and prevents degradation in terms of quality and nature, since it eliminates signs of fungi and bacteria efficiently.

Final Words

Almost every country today has a significant bakery industry. In international trade, the best levels of disinfection are essential. As a result, ozone gas is becoming a more widespread and preferred disinfection method. Additionally, ozone gas eliminates bacteria that might be formed in the mills and machines. While it eliminates microbial bacteria on products, it also eliminates bacteria that might be formed on products.

Ozone gas is also the most powerful destructive disinfectant when it comes to bacteria, especially on wheat weevils and red flour beetles. Chemical disinfection processes are also used by manufacturing companies in today’s technology. Chemical disinfection, on the other hand, always leaves a residue on products and is not cost-effective. Ozone generators produce ozone and are extremely cheap compared to other methods for disinfecting.