Ozone, with its highly efficient broad-spectrum sterilization, no harmful residue, and green safety features, has become a core technical solution for the food processing industry to ensure food safety, improve product quality, and reduce operating costs. It is widely used across the entire industrial chain of food processing, including raw material handling, production and processing, environmental disinfection, storage and preservation, packaging sterilization, and waste treatment. It serves as a critical technical support to drive the green transformation and compliance upgrading of the food processing industry.
Core Mechanisms of Ozone in Food Processing
The application value of ozone in food processing mainly relies on its strong oxidation properties. Through controllable oxidation reactions, it achieves three core functions: sterilization, harmful substance degradation, and preservation and antisepsis, which fully meet the core safety and compliance requirements of the food processing industry.
Broad-Spectrum Sterilization and Disinfection Mechanism
Ozone has an oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) of 2.07 V, with a sterilization capacity far exceeding that of traditional chlorine-based agents, ultraviolet light, and other disinfection methods.
It can directly damage the cell membrane and cell wall structure of microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, fungi, spores, and parasite eggs.
It can penetrate the interior of microbial cells, damage core life substances such as nucleic acids and enzyme systems, and cause irreversible inactivation of microorganisms.
It has an extremely rapid killing effect on key pathogenic bacteria controlled in food processing, such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and molds.
The sterilization process is non-selective, and it is not easy for microorganisms to develop drug resistance, enabling stable long-term use.
After sterilization, ozone decomposes into oxygen spontaneously, leaving no disinfection by-product residues.
Harmful Substance Degradation Mechanism
Food raw materials often contain harmful components such as pesticide residues, veterinary drug residues, and biotoxins, which are core pain points in food safety management and control.
Through oxidation reactions, ozone can damage the molecular structure of pesticides and veterinary drugs, neutralize their toxicity, and greatly reduce the content of pesticide and veterinary drug residues in raw materials.
It can efficiently degrade mycotoxins such as aflatoxin and deoxynivalenol (vomitoxin) in grain, oil, and dry goods raw materials, solving the problem of excessive toxin levels that are difficult to handle with traditional processes.
It can oxidize and decompose toxic and harmful substances such as nitrite and sulfide in food raw materials, reducing food safety risks.
The degradation process does not produce harmful derivatives, nor does it damage the core nutritional components of food raw materials.
Preservation and Antisepsis Mechanism
Ozone achieves food preservation and antisepsis through dual actions, extending the product shelf life.
On one hand, it can kill spoilage microorganisms on food surfaces and in the environment, fundamentally reducing microbial-induced spoilage and deterioration.
On the other hand, it can inhibit the respiration of fresh raw materials such as fruits and vegetables, decompose the ethylene ripening gas they release, and delay the ripening and senescence process of raw materials.
It can reduce water loss and nutrient loss of fresh raw materials, and maintain the color, taste, and freshness of products.
Compared with traditional chemical preservatives, it leaves no chemical residues, does not change the properties of the food itself, and meets the production requirements of green food.
Core Application Scenarios of Ozone in Food Processing
Ozone technology can be applied in two forms: gaseous and water-soluble, adapting to the needs of different links in the entire food processing industry chain. Its application scenarios cover the vast majority of food processing categories and production processes.
Cleaning and Sterilization of Food Raw Materials
Raw material handling is the first step in food processing, and also the most widely used core scenario for ozone application.
Ozonated water can replace traditional chlorine-based agent cleaning to complete the multiple functions of sterilization, pesticide residue degradation, and cleaning of raw materials.
Fruit and Vegetable Raw Material Processing
It can kill pathogenic bacteria, molds, and parasite eggs on the surface of fruits and vegetables, reduce the bacterial load of raw materials, and lower the risk of cross-contamination in subsequent processing.
It can efficiently degrade organophosphorus, organochlorine, and other pesticide residues on the surface of fruits and vegetables, improving the food safety level of raw materials.
The cleaning process does not damage the epidermis of fruits and vegetables, nor does it destroy nutrients such as vitamins and dietary fiber, and will not affect the product color and taste.
It is widely used in processing scenarios such as fresh-cut vegetable processing, juice and jam production, frozen fruits and vegetables, fruit and vegetable crisps, and fruit and vegetable raw materials for prepared meals.
Livestock and Poultry Meat Raw Material Processing
It can kill pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus on the surface of livestock and poultry meat, reduce the total aerobic bacterial count, and minimize microbial contamination during slaughter and processing.
It can remove blood water and fishy smell on the meat surface, improve raw material quality, and extend the shelf life of fresh meat.
There is no chemical residue left after the cleaning process, it does not damage nutrients such as protein and fat in meat, and will not affect the color and flavor of meat products.
It is suitable for scenarios such as slaughter and segmentation, chilled meat processing, prefabricated meat product processing, and raw material handling for braised food.
Aquatic Raw Material Processing
It can quickly kill pathogenic bacteria such as Vibrio and E. coli on the surface of aquatic raw materials, solving the core microbial contamination problem in aquatic product processing.
It can degrade harmful substances such as histamine and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) in aquatic raw materials, reduce fishy smell, and delay the spoilage and deterioration of raw materials.
It can extend the shelf life of fresh and frozen aquatic products, and reduce product loss during processing.
It is widely used in processing scenarios such as frozen aquatic product processing, surimi products, ready-to-eat aquatic products, and aquatic raw material handling for prepared meals.
Grain, Oil and Dry Goods Raw Material Processing
Through gaseous ozone treatment, it can degrade aflatoxin in grain and oil raw materials such as peanuts, corn, and wheat, solving the problem of excessive toxin levels in raw materials.
It can kill molds and storage pest eggs in dry goods raw materials, preventing mildew and moth damage during raw material storage.
The treatment process does not require the addition of any chemical agents, does not damage the nutritional components of grain and oil raw materials, and does not affect subsequent processing performance.
It is suitable for scenarios such as grain and oil processing, nut processing, dry goods products, and condiment raw material handling.
Disinfection of Production and Processing Environment and Equipment
The sanitation of the environment and equipment in food processing workshops is a core link in food safety management and control. Ozone can achieve full-scene, dead-angle-free disinfection treatment.
Air and Environment Disinfection in Production Workshops
Gaseous ozone can diffuse to every corner of the workshop, killing airborne planktonic bacteria, sedimented bacteria, and microorganisms on the surfaces of walls, floors, ceilings, and operating tables.
It can effectively kill mold spores, solve the common mold contamination problem in food processing workshops, and avoid product rework due to mildew.
It replaces traditional disinfection methods such as ultraviolet disinfection, formaldehyde fumigation, and peracetic acid spraying, with no disinfection dead angles, no harmful residues, and more convenient operation.
It can be used for daily disinfection of all production supporting areas such as clean production workshops, filling workshops, changing rooms, buffer rooms, and raw material warehouses.
Disinfection of Production and Processing Equipment and Tools
Ozonated water can clean and disinfect production equipment, pipelines, tools, and turnover boxes, killing pathogenic bacteria and microorganisms attached to the surface.
For complex structures such as filling equipment and conveying pipelines, ozonated water can achieve disinfection of the entire pipeline, solving the problem of disinfection dead angles in traditional clean-in-place (CIP) cleaning.
It has no corrosion on materials such as stainless steel, plastic, and glass, and does not affect the service life of equipment and tools.
After disinfection, there is no need for secondary clean water rinsing, which saves water resources and improves production efficiency.
Disinfection of Food Packaging Materials
Microbial contamination of packaging materials is an important cause of secondary food contamination and shortened shelf life. Ozone can achieve efficient and safe disinfection of various packaging materials.
It can carry out comprehensive disinfection of packaging materials through two methods: ozonated water immersion and gaseous ozone fumigation.
It is suitable for various packaging materials and containers such as plastic packaging films, composite packaging bags, glass bottles, PET bottles, cans, bottle caps, and turnover pallets.
It can kill microorganisms on the inner and outer surfaces of packaging materials, including highly resistant microorganisms such as spores and molds, ensuring hygienic safety in the packaging link.
Compared with traditional high-temperature disinfection and chemical disinfection, ozone disinfection does not damage the physical properties of packaging materials, leaves no chemical residues, and is especially suitable for the disinfection needs of heat-sensitive packaging materials.
It is widely used in scenarios such as aseptic beverage filling, prepared meal packaging, snack food packaging, and condiment filling.
Storage and Preservation and Full Cold Chain Disinfection
Ozone technology can cover the whole process of storage, cold chain transportation, and terminal temporary storage of food raw materials and finished products, achieving the dual effects of disinfection and preservation.
Application in Storage and Preservation
In controlled atmosphere (CA) storage for fruits and vegetables, normal temperature storage warehouses, and cold storages, regular introduction of gaseous ozone can kill molds and pathogenic bacteria in the warehouse air and on the surface of goods.
It can continuously decompose ethylene gas released by fruits and vegetables, inhibit the respiration of fruits and vegetables, delay ripening and senescence, and greatly extend the preservation period and storage cycle.
It can kill pest eggs in grain and dry goods storage, prevent moth damage and mildew of raw materials, and reduce storage losses.
The disinfection process does not require moving the goods, can achieve dead-angle-free disinfection of the entire warehouse, is convenient to operate, and does not affect the normal operation of the warehouse.
Application in Cold Chain and Logistics Disinfection
It can carry out ozone disinfection of cold storages, cold chain transportation carriages, and refrigerated containers, kill pathogenic bacteria in the cold chain environment, and solve the problem of difficult microbial disinfection in low-temperature environments.
It can comprehensively disinfect the inner and outer packaging of cold chain food, kill microorganisms attached to the surface, and avoid the risk of cross-contamination.
In a low-temperature environment, the sterilization effect of ozone remains stable, making up for the shortcoming that the effect of traditional disinfection methods is greatly reduced in low-temperature scenarios.
It is suitable for all cold chain links including cold chain storage, fresh food logistics, imported food disinfection, and temporary storage in terminal supermarket freezers.
Food Processing Wastewater and Waste Treatment
The food processing process produces a large amount of high-concentration organic wastewater and processing by-products. Ozone technology can achieve environmentally friendly treatment and compliance management and control.
For food processing wastewater, ozone can oxidize and decompose organic matter in the wastewater, reduce COD and BOD concentrations, and achieve decolorization and deodorization effects.
It can kill pathogenic bacteria and microorganisms in the wastewater, avoid environmental pollution caused by wastewater discharge, and ensure that the effluent meets the discharge standards.
For by-products and waste generated from processing, ozone can kill spoilage microorganisms, eliminate odors, reduce spoilage and deterioration, and facilitate subsequent resource utilization or harmless treatment.
It is suitable for various food processing wastewater treatment scenarios such as slaughter wastewater, fruit and vegetable processing wastewater, beverage production wastewater, and aquatic product processing wastewater.
Core Advantages of Ozone Application in Food Processing
Compared with traditional disinfection, preservation, and cleaning technologies in the food processing industry, ozone technology has irreplaceable advantages such as green safety, high efficiency and broad spectrum, multiple functions, and strong adaptability, which fully meet the food safety control and compliant development needs of the food industry.
Green and Safe, No Harmful Residues
The final decomposition product of ozone is oxygen, leaving no toxic or harmful residues in food, water, or the environment.
It will not generate carcinogenic disinfection by-products (DBPs) such as trihalomethanes (THMs) like chlorine-based agents, nor will it cause secondary pollution to food.
It will not leave chemical agent residues in food, fully complying with the requirements of China’s National Food Safety Standard – Standard for Uses of Food Additives (GB 2760) for food processing aids, as well as international food safety regulatory standards such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). It is suitable for the production needs of both domestic and export food products.
It does not damage the nutritional components, color, flavor, and taste of food, ensuring product quality.
Broad-Spectrum and High Efficiency, Stable Sterilization Effect
Ozone has an extremely strong killing effect on all kinds of harmful microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, fungi, spores, and parasite eggs, with a sterilization spectrum far wider than traditional disinfection methods.
The sterilization reaction speed is extremely fast, and the inactivation of pathogenic bacteria can be completed within seconds to minutes, with production efficiency much higher than traditional disinfection processes.
It can still maintain a stable sterilization effect in complex environments such as low temperature and high humidity, adapting to the needs of various scenarios in food processing.
The sterilization process is oxidative inactivation, which will not cause microorganisms to develop drug resistance. It can be used continuously for a long time without the problem of reduced efficacy.
Multiple Functions, Significant Cost Reduction and Efficiency Increase
One set of ozone system can simultaneously achieve multiple functions including raw material cleaning and sterilization, environmental disinfection, equipment disinfection, storage and preservation, and wastewater treatment. It can replace a variety of chemical agents and disinfection equipment, reducing production investment.
Ozone can be produced on-site and used immediately, without the need for storage and transportation of chemical agents, avoiding the safety risks and management costs of hazardous chemical management.
In the raw material cleaning link, ozonated water can complete cleaning, sterilization, and pesticide residue degradation in one step, simplifying the production process, reducing water resource consumption, and improving production efficiency.
In the preservation link, it can greatly extend the shelf life and storage cycle of food, reduce product loss, and lower the operating cost of enterprises.
Strong Adaptability, Flexible Application Scenarios
Ozone can be applied in two forms: gaseous and water-soluble, adapting to the needs of different links and different scenarios in the entire food processing industry chain.
Equipment specifications can be flexibly customized, which can be perfectly adapted from centralized ozone systems for large food processing plants to integrated ozone equipment for central kitchens and small food workshops.
It can be seamlessly connected with existing production processes, cleaning equipment, storage systems, and water treatment systems, without large-scale transformation of existing production lines, with low transformation cost and short implementation cycle.
It is suitable for the processing needs of most food categories, including fruits and vegetables, meat, aquatic products, grain and oil, beverages, prepared meals, condiments, and snack foods.
Key Technical Specifications and Operation Points of Ozone Application in Food Processing
The strong oxidation properties of ozone have both application effects and safety risks. The application in food processing scenarios must strictly follow food safety specifications and operation standards, so as to hold the bottom line of food safety and production safety while ensuring the treatment effect.
Strictly Comply with Food Safety Compliance Requirements
When used in food processing, ozone may only be used as a food processing aid. It is necessary to strictly comply with the relevant provisions of GB 2760 to ensure that there are no harmful residues in the finished food products.
For ozone application in different food categories and different processing links, it is necessary to strictly abide by the corresponding national food safety standards and industry specifications, and shall not be used beyond the scope or dosage limit.
Ozone equipment and ozone generating media used for food processing must meet food-grade safety requirements, and shall not introduce other harmful substances into food.
It is necessary to establish a complete ozone application management system, and keep records of equipment operation, concentration monitoring, and disinfection, to meet the food safety traceability requirements.
Precisely Control Ozone Concentration and Contact Time
Concentration and contact time are the core parameters that determine the ozone treatment effect and food safety, which must be precisely controlled according to the application scenario and processed materials.
In the raw material cleaning link, the ozonated water concentration should be adjusted according to the food category: the commonly used concentration for fruit and vegetable cleaning is 0.3-1.0 mg/L, and the commonly used concentration for livestock, poultry meat and aquatic raw material cleaning is 1.0-2.0 mg/L. It is strictly prohibited to use high-concentration ozonated water to treat easily oxidized food raw materials for a long time.
In the air disinfection link, the commonly used ozone concentration for workshop air disinfection in unoccupied environments is above 20 mg/m³, with a contact time of no less than 30 minutes; after disinfection, ventilation and standing are required, and personnel can only enter after the ozone is completely decomposed (usually no less than 60 minutes).
In the storage and preservation link, the ozone concentration and dosing frequency should be adjusted according to the stored materials: the commonly used concentration for fruit and vegetable preservation is 0.5-3 mg/m³, and intermittent dosing is adopted to avoid oxidative damage to fruits and vegetables caused by continuous high-concentration treatment.
For all application scenarios, it is necessary to be equipped with online concentration monitoring equipment to control the ozone concentration in real time, and operation with excessive parameters is strictly prohibited.
Standardize Operation Methods to Avoid Quality and Safety Risks
In the raw material handling link, it is necessary to ensure full contact between ozonated water and materials to improve the treatment effect; for materials sensitive to ozone, such as oils, nuts, and leafy vegetables rich in unsaturated fatty acids, the ozone concentration and contact time must be strictly controlled to avoid oxidative rancidity of oils, nutrient damage of raw materials, and flavor changes.
In the environmental disinfection link, gaseous ozone disinfection must be carried out in an unoccupied environment. It is strictly prohibited for personnel to enter the disinfection area during ozone dosing; the workshop must be equipped with an ozone leakage alarm device, linked with the ventilation system, to ensure the safety of the production environment.
In the equipment and packaging disinfection link, the appropriate ozone form and concentration should be selected according to the material and structure of the disinfection object, to avoid corrosion or damage to equipment and packaging materials.
In the by-product prevention and control link, the bromide ion content of the water source used to prepare ozonated water must be strictly controlled to avoid the generation of harmful by-products such as bromate through ozone oxidation; it is strictly prohibited to carry out long-term high-concentration gaseous ozone treatment on high-oil and high-protein foods in a closed space to avoid the generation of harmful oxidation products.
Improve Equipment Operation and Maintenance and Safety Control System
Ozone generation equipment, dosing system, concentration monitoring equipment, and off-gas destruction device must be regularly calibrated, maintained, and serviced to ensure stable equipment operation and precise and controllable parameters.
Operators must receive professional training, be familiar with the safety specifications, operation procedures, and emergency disposal methods of ozone application, and illegal operation is strictly prohibited.
The ozone equipment room and disinfection workshop must maintain good ventilation, and be equipped with personal protective equipment and emergency disposal facilities to eliminate safety accidents caused by ozone leakage.
Production off-gas and wastewater containing ozone must be treated to ensure that ozone is completely decomposed before discharge, to avoid impact on the surrounding environment and personnel.
Existing Bottlenecks and Precautions for Ozone Application in Food Processing
Existing Technical and Application Bottlenecks
High difficulty in precise adaptation. The physical and chemical properties and pollution levels of different food materials vary greatly. The ozone dosage, concentration, and contact time need to be adjusted in a targeted manner. Small and medium-sized food enterprises lack professional technical capabilities, which is prone to insufficient treatment effect or damage to product quality.
Limitations in material adaptability. For foods rich in easily oxidizable components such as unsaturated fatty acids and vitamin C, high-concentration ozone is likely to cause oxidative deterioration of raw materials, damage to nutrition and flavor, which has extremely high requirements for the accuracy of process parameters.
Continuous optimization is needed for by-product prevention and control. In specific scenarios, such as water sources with high bromide ion content and seafood product processing, ozone oxidation may produce by-products such as bromate, which requires corresponding prevention and control measures, increasing the complexity of application.
Insufficient industry application awareness. Some small and medium-sized food enterprises have insufficient understanding of the application specifications and safety requirements of ozone technology, and there are problems such as improper equipment selection, unreasonable parameter setting, and non-standard operation, which affect the technical application effect.
Core Application Precautions
It is strictly prohibited to use ozone beyond the scope and concentration limit, to avoid irreversible damage to food quality and eliminate food safety risks.
For food categories sensitive to ozone, small-batch tests must be carried out first to determine safe process parameters before large-scale application.
When disinfecting with gaseous ozone, the principle of “disinfection when unoccupied, entry after ventilation” must be strictly implemented to prevent personnel from being exposed to high-concentration ozone environment.
Regularly verify the ozone treatment effect, including microbial testing, pesticide residue degradation effect, and food quality testing, timely optimize process parameters, and ensure stable treatment effect.
It is strictly prohibited to use ozone together with other chemical disinfectants to avoid chemical reactions to produce harmful products.
Industry Development Trend of Ozone in Food Processing Field
With the continuous tightening of food safety supervision and the transformation of the food processing industry towards green, standardized, and intelligent development, the application scenarios of ozone technology continue to expand, and the technical system is also constantly upgraded and optimized. The core development trends are concentrated in the following directions.
Upgrading of low-energy consumption and specialized equipment. The industry is accelerating the research and development of low-energy consumption and high-efficiency ozone generators to reduce equipment operating costs; at the same time, for market segments such as prepared meals, fresh-cut vegetable processing, and grain and oil processing, specialized ozone treatment equipment is developed to improve scenario adaptability.
Research and development of intelligent precise control system. Combined with online water quality monitoring, rapid microbial detection, Internet of Things, and AI algorithms, it can realize real-time dynamic adjustment of ozone dosage, concentration, and contact time, adapt to the dynamic changes of raw materials and environment, avoid the risk of food quality damage while ensuring the treatment effect, and reduce operating energy consumption.
Optimization of targeted treatment technology. Aiming at the core pain points in food processing, such as aflatoxin degradation, efficient removal of pesticide residues, and low-temperature disinfection in cold chain, targeted ozone oxidation processes are developed to improve treatment efficiency and reduce the risk of by-product generation.
Collaborative and coupled application of multiple technologies. Promote the in-depth integration of ozone technology with other green sterilization technologies such as ultraviolet light, ultrasonic wave, photocatalysis, and micro-nano bubbles, build a collaborative treatment system, achieve enhanced sterilization effect, reduced ozone dosage, and precise control of by-products, and further broaden the application boundary.
Expansion of integrated application across the whole industrial chain. From single disinfection in the processing link, it extends to the entire food industry chain including raw material planting and harvesting, processing and production, warehousing and logistics, and terminal retail, to build a whole-process ozone green safety control system, and help the whole chain food safety upgrading of the food industry.
Improvement of industry standards and application specifications. With the popularization of ozone technology in the food industry, the relevant application specifications, technical standards, and safety guidelines will continue to be improved, promoting the standardized application of the industry, and further releasing the potential of technology application.
