Question:
By Environmental News Network staff
Your mother always told you never to use the hair dryer while you are
in the bathtub or touch the light socket with wet hands. And she was
right.
But mixing water with electricity does have its uses -- uses that can
preserve your health rather than threaten it.
A University of Georgia researcher found that rinsing fresh produce,
poultry and eggs with electrolyzed water -- made by applying an
electrical current to a very dilute saltwater solution -- is a very
effective way to kill food-borne bacteria such as salmonella, E. coli
and listeria.
Using electrolyzed water to disinfect foods appears to be more potent
than common methods that use heat or chlorinated water, according to
the research.
Yen-Con Hung, a professor of food science and technology at UGA,
conducted the study. He presented his results last week at the 220th
meeting of the American Chemical Society.
Hung showed in earlier studies that soaking utensils, plates, cups,
cutting boards and food processing equipment in electrolyzed water can
eliminate bacteria from these surfaces. The current research is the
first to indicate the solution's effectiveness in disinfecting foods.
While killing bacteria has obvious health advantages, tests also show
that using electrolyzed water does not affect the quality of the foods
as heat does.
Participants in the study were asked to assess produce that was treated
with electrolyzed water. They found "there was no significant effect of
the treatment on the quality," Hung said. The group was "unable to find
any differences in color, appearance or smell" between produce washed
with electrolyzed water and produce washed with tap water.
So far, Hung has completed research that demonstrates the cleaning
abilities of electrolyzed water for poultry, eggs, lettuce and apples.
He also plans to conduct tests with Brussels sprouts, strawberries and
broccoli.
"I also want to find out what are the most important properties that
make electrolyzed water so effective," he said.
Electrolyzed water is highly acidic, contains chlorine and has high
oxidation potential. This chemical combination holds the key to its
effectiveness, said Hung, and he wants to determine the exact role of
each component.
"We think it is the high oxidation potential of the electrolyzed water
that cause the damage of cell membranes," he said.
The chemical process of oxidation occurs when oxygen comes into contact
with other compounds, causing them to lose electrons, which in turn
causes the compound to break down and change functions. In the case of
food pathogens, oxidation would damage the cell membrane, creating a
disruption in a cell's metabolic process and essentially killing it.
Devices for electrolyzing water could be adapted to household and
industrial use, according to Hung. He envisions a compact machine
smaller than a microwave that can be set up in the average kitchen. The
electrolyzed water could be used to rinse foods right as it pours out
from the unit.
Much larger versions of the same machine would be used for the food
services industry, including food processing plants and grocery stores.
Federal regulatory approval will be required before these machines will
be available. Some Japanese companies already manufacture equipment for
making electrolyzed water that can be used to treat foods. Two such
businesses have registered the technology with the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency for approval as a sanitizing rinse
Answer:
How does this compare with the age old practice of adding a drop
or two of Clorox in rinse water to accomplish what sounds like the same
thing? Indeed, most public water supplies use actual Chlorine for
this purpose, and even hikers and campers use Chlorine Tables to purify
drink water having suspicious origins.
Somehow the article fails to draw a distinction between "Electrolyzed
Water" and ordinary Chlorinated Water, except for the way it is produced.
Also, note that no comparison is made of the cost of using one method
vs the other -- so I suppose it simply becomes a question of which is
less costly.
Another question surfaced but not answered by the article is: "Who uses
sea water to wash edible, and why would they want to?" After all, even
food that comes from the sea is rinsed with fresh water to, if for no
other reason, rinse off the sea water.
