Problem:

The produce loss in the EU due to microorganisms is approximately 30% per year. One contribution from this project is to minimise these losses, and to this end, the investigations focus on mixed lettuce.

Aim:

The aim of the project is the development of an industrial washing process using ozonated water, in which, the ozone addition, will be controlled through the use of a Fuzzy Logic system.
At the moment, lettuce is washed in 2 sequential steps, with commercial wash water, in which the first wash step removes the larger impurities. The 2nd step, with the introduction of ozonated water is planned to act as a sanitising step in which pathogenic and spoilage organisms are removed.
In order to realise the aim of the project, the initial laboratory investigations focused on one side, on the efficacy of ozone against microorganisms and the other on the quality assurance of lettuce, that there is no loss of quality during the wash process.
It has been known for many years the ozone is a strong oxidant and has fungicidal, bactericidal and virucidal properties. In the laboratory investigation the efficacy was tested against specific species of bacteria: Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus and E. coli. These are groups found commonly on lettuce, and are also those that are regularly tested for by Institut Fresenius for manufacturers of pre packed lettuce and salads.

Target groups:

Manufacturers, Scientists, Politicians