Potential of Electrolyzed Water as an Alternative Disinfectant Agent in the Fresh-Cut Industry

Water disinfection is one of the most critical processing steps in fresh-cut vegetable production. Technologies capable for the efficient disinfection of process water and recycled water would allow reducing wastewater and have less impact on the environment. Among the chemical disinfectants, hypochlorite solutions are still the most widely used. Electrochemical disinfection of the wash water has been demonstrated to be effective in eliminating a wide spectrum of pathogens in process water. Both hypochlorite solutions and electrochemically produced chlorine compounds, in particular hypochlorous acid, are effective disinfectants when adequate doses are used. A new electrochemical process using boron-doped diamond electrodes can generate additional reactive oxidant species than chlorine and further enhance the disinfecting capacity. However, there are pros and cons on the use of one or other disinfectant agents. In this review, the technological advantages and the limitations of electrolyzed water, particularly regarding the organic matter content, are discussed and compared to the use of hypochlorite.