Electrolyzed water significantly reduces bacterial levels on chicken carcasses.

Electrolyzed oxidizing (EO) water is a functional water that has been used primary as a sanitizer. It is produced by the electrolysis of a mild salt solution that forms two types of water with different characteristics. An electrolyzed basic aqueous solution has reducing potential, which destroys free radicals in biological systems. An electrolyzed strong acidic solution, which has a high oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) in combination with hypochlorous acid, is bactericidal.

Clinical studies tell us that an electrolyzed strong acidic aqueous solution is effective for controlling various types of infectious microorganisms. Extensive research on EO water has been conducted worldwide to inactivate foodborne pathogens. EO water appears to be an effective way to reduce populations of pathogenic and indictor bacteria on hatching eggs and broiler carcasses.

At the University of Georgia, research was conducted to determine the efficacy of EO water for eliminating populations of pathogenic and indicator bacteria from the surfaces of fertile hatching eggs and broiler chicken carcasses. Populations of pathogenic bacteria--S. typhimurium, S. aureus and L. monocytogenes--and the indicator bacterium E. coli were significantly reduced on eggshell surfaces by applying EO water using an electrostatic spraying system (ESS).

In another study, S. typhimurium was inoculated onto fertile hatching eggs and allowed to attach. Investigators treated the eggs using tap water or EO water applied using the ESS during the hatch. The chicks were grown to four weeks of age, euthanized and evaluated for S. typhimurium. The Salmonella colonization of broiler chickens declined from 65% and 95% levels when the chickens were treated with tap water to 0% and 5% levels when the chickens were treated with EO.

Additionally, the researchers conducted a series of studies to determine the effect of the immersion chilling of chicken carcasses in EO water on populations of S. typhimurium or E. coli attached to broiler chicken carcasses. During immersion chilling in EO water for 1 hour, firmly attached S. typhimurium were reduced by approximately 1 [log.sub.10] CFU per mL when compared to the controls.

Immersion of carcasses in EO water reduced E. coli populations from 7.27 [log.sub.10] CFU per mL in the controls to 1.00 [log.sub.10] CFU per mL. In addition, carcasses were treated by immersion in a pilot scale chiller containing EO water for up to 60 minutes. Increasing the time of exposure to EO water significantly reduced levels of E. coli on broiler chicken carcasses--by 99.9999%.

Further information. Scott Russell, Poultry Science Department, University of Georgia, 218 Poultry Science Building, Athens, GA 30602; phone: [phone]; fax: [phone]; email: [e-mail].