We are interested in an ozone system for our food processing operations. Can ozone treated water be used as a no rinse sanitizer for bottles prior to filling?
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved ozone for bottle sanitation as well as food and contact surface applications. Ozone can be applied as a final sanitation rinse following standard cleaning practices. Because ozone is chemical free and quickly breaks down to oxygen after treatment, it is a “no rinse” sanitizer for bottle filling lines. In fact, some bottled water companies leave a residual amount of ozone in the water they bottle to ensure a sterile environment knowing that the ozone will breakdown to oxygen within minutes of sealing. These benefits also apply to CIP processes for water storage tanks, cisterns and food processing equipment, etc.
The no residual characteristic of ozone is also an important health and taste benefit for the processing of food and beverages and their contact surfaces. Rinsing food products with ozone does not affect the product integrity, and can help extend shelf-life and microbiological quality.
Another benefit of ozone sanitation is that it does not require hot water. It is effective at temperatures of 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit /10-15 degrees Celsius. This benefit reduces costs via savings in the operational time and electricity that is required for traditional hot water sanitation processes.
An ozone closed loop CIP system, such as Aclarus designs and engineers, can be incorporated into the food and beverage sanitation process to provide reuse water and significantly reduce water use and costs versus traditional processes. Furthermore, reduced chemical use improves the wastewater quality and can often reduce municipal discharge fees, where applicable. In some cases, this sanitizing water can be also be reused for other applications, such as cooling towers. Ozone is considered by many in the industry to be the future of CIP sanitation. To learn more please contact us here.