Application, Utilization and Management of Ozone Water in Food Manufacturing

The ozone has the oxidizing power which is powerful the fluorine and the antimicrobial spectrum of wide scope. Researches were carried out to use the merits that ozone has in various fields including the food indus- try, and many studies are also conducted nowadays for more efficient use of ozone. The ozone was permitted legally as a food additive and was practically used in the United States, Australia, Japanese etc. In November 2007, ozone water was permitted as a food additive in Korea and the interest in the use of ozone water has been on the rise in the Korea's food industry. As a olisinfectant method, ozone has many advantages. The maintenance and management expenses of ozone are lower than the installation cost at early stages and no by-products are generated after use it com- pared to others. Recently the demand of ozone as a olisinfectant method is increasing drastically. Although ozone water is popularly used to sterilize raw foods like fruits, vegetables and meats, the cases are still limited and were verified by the survey results. However, the use of ozone water is gradually being increased and is focused on food services. Ozone water refers to a state where ozone is dissolved into water to more conveniently use ozone. Accord- ingly, ozone water should be managed in regards with the amount and time of water-dissolved ozone, and the control of discharged ozone concentration is required for safe use of ozone water. The items to control mentioned above are directly related to the performance of the devices, and therefore, it is required to newly establish the performance cri- teria of ozone water manufacturing devices.