Evaluation of the Properties of Electrochemically Activated Water on Different Salt Compositions and its Capabilities as an Antimicrobial, Cleaning, and Allergen Control Solution

Abstract

Electrochemically Activated (ECA) water has received high amounts of attentions as a novel sanitizer that has potent antimicrobial capabilities as well as being safe to handle. Although it also has cleaning capabilities, those are often overlooked due to how well it performs as an antimicrobial. The present study was performed to improve the knowledge of ECA water as a cleaner and other potential roles in the food industry. The first experiment investigated various different salts used to produce ECA water and showed that NaCl and KCl created strong and usable cleaners and sanitizers. The second experiment attempted to understand how dilute ECA water could be before antimicrobial and cleaning capabilities were lost. Due to the strength of ECA water in both of these uses, the solutions could withstand large dilutions. The third experiment attempted to see if ECA water could successful be used as an allergen control system. The findings showed that ECA water was successful in removing allergens from stainless steel and tile but struggled on plastic and rubber surfaces. The last experiment was aimed at applying ECA water into a processing system. The data showed that seeds contaminated with Salmonella could be soaked for 12 hours and receive a ~5 log10 reduction in bacterial load.