Neutral electrolyzed water in chillers: A viable option in the microbiological disinfection of giblets chicken

During the processing of poultry, disinfectants are commonly added to cooling water tanks called “chillers” to reduce microorganism populations that can affect food quality. The present study, evaluated the effectiveness of neutral electrolyzed water in a pilot-project-sized chiller for the elimination of pathogenic microorganisms in gizzards and necks chicken. The microbiological analysis of the samples was processed and analyzed in three different food microbiological analysis laboratories. The results demonstrated a maximum microbial load reduction of 1.97686 log CFU/g for Escherichia coli and 1.76313 log CFU/g for Staphylococcus aureus in all samples processed with neutral electrolyzed water. Sodium hypochlorite, a disinfectant in common industrial use, did not achieve significant reductions in microbial loads below those of untreated necks and gizzards for either of the microorganisms in question. Based on these results, this study thus proposes the use electrolyzed water as an alternative disinfectant to sodium hypochlorite for use in chillers; being a sustainable solution that differs from conventional disinfectants in its lack of human or environmental side effects.