Chlorine dioxide is one powerhouse sanitizer that’s getting extra consideration lately as meals processors search for extra efficacious merchandise to assist them win the sanitation battle. Accepted by the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Environmental Safety Company (EPA), it’s as highly effective as peracetic acid and extra economical, but it has far much less of an influence on the atmosphere than quaternary ammonium salts, chlorine or bromine, making it a wonderful alternative for meals processing vegetation. It prices about the identical to make use of as different sanitizers however is extra versatile and fewer dangerous. It’s additionally been proven to destroy and stop biofilms, one of many largest challenges to meals processors in destroying dangerous micro organism. It additionally doesn’t have the robust odor or corrosive qualities related to chlorine.
It’s a versatile different that can be utilized in lots of sanitation functions, together with pasteurization gear, warmth exchangers, cooling towers, laborious floor disinfecting, potable water remedy and deodorizing stacks in rendering vegetation. It’s already rising in recognition as a software to manage microbiological progress within the dairy trade, the beverage trade, the fruit and vegetable processing industries, canning vegetation, and in poultry and beef services.
“Everyone within the meals processing trade is on the lookout for higher cleansing and sanitation processes,” says Fred Holzhauer, Director of Enterprise Growth with Birko Corp., a number one specialty chemical producer that gives a product line of greater than 200 cleansing and sanitizing chemical compounds and utility gear to the meat, poultry, microbrewery and meals industries (www.birkocorp.com).
“Chlorine dioxide eliminates sources and transfers of dangerous pathogens within the meals plant and assaults biofilms that kind on gear and different food-contact surfaces—all whereas doing much less hurt to the atmosphere than different selections that don’t have comparable energy.” Chlorine dioxide is the reply, says Holzhauer. Listed below are 10 the explanation why:
1. Chlorine dioxide has 2.6 instances the oxidizing energy of waterborne chlorine (from bleach), giving it a large spectrum of sanitizing makes use of and making it terribly efficient towards a bunch of bugs. Research have proven that it produces as excessive as a 6-log discount.
2. Chlorine dioxide is registered with EPA (Registration No. 74986-1), and is taken into account a wonderful bactericide, fungicide and antimicrobial agent. It has handed the EPA’s stringent DIS/TISS tips to be used as a disinfectant and as a food-contact floor sanitizer.
3. The FDA and the U.S. Division of Agriculture (USDA) have permitted stabilized sodium chlorite (a precursor) and chlorine dioxide in meals processing vegetation for sanitizing and controlling micro organism and mildew.
4. Chlorine dioxide producing methods can be utilized for odor management, sanitation and water purification functions. Birko Corp. provides an unique ClO2 technology system, which eliminates older, typical “vacuum draw” expertise, for excellent consistency, accuracy and sensible yield.
5. In contrast to chlorine bleach and bromide, which make carcinogenic trihalomethanes that get washed down the drain and deposited within the atmosphere, chlorine dioxide donates oxygen, breaking all the way down to water, oxygen and customary desk salt. This makes it a lot much less corrosive to gear and an excellent environmental alternative. It additionally breaks down rapidly, which suggests it gained’t hurt the soil or add poisonous deposits to the bottom.
“Chlorine dioxide has such a large spectrum of makes use of,” Holzhauer says. “It’s bought superb firepower, it’s economical, and its environmental profile is safer than different selections. There’s nothing else on the market that may compete.”
