Electrolysed oxidised water sanitises poultry

“We wanted to use the water on chicken carcasses to see if it cuts down on the levels of salmonella and campylobacter,” said food scientist Yen-Con Hung, at the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

According to Hung and fellow researchers, using the electrolysed oxidised water could be 10 times more effective at bacterial elimination than other methods.

To create the water, a saltwater solution undergoes an electrolysis process, which isolates the positive and negative ions, separating the water into: acidic and alkaline.

Hung experimented with both the acidic and alkaline electrolysed oxidised water on fresh chicken carcasses, together with Scott Russell, associate professor of poultry science. Experiments showed that the acidic electrolysed oxidised water destroyed food-borne pathogens on the carcass and the alkaline water cleaned the carcass.

“The alkaline stream of electrolysed oxidised water mixes with the fat on the chicken, cleanses the surface and protects the carcass in the future,” said Russell, adding that it is similar to “when your grandmother mixed fat and lye to make soap.”