Beverage Industry logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Beverage Industry logo
  • NEWS
    • R&D News
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Products
    • Reader's Choice Poll
  • CATEGORIES
    • Alternative Drinks
    • Beer
    • Bottled Water
    • Cannabis Beverages
    • Carbonated Soft Drinks
    • Energy Drinks & Shots
    • Juice & Juice Drinks
    • Plant-Based Beverages
    • Sports Drinks
    • Tea and Coffee
    • Wine & Spirits
  • R&D
    • Beverage R&D Features
    • Ingredient Spotlight
  • PACKAGING
    • New Packages
    • Packaging Equipment
    • Packaging Material
  • OPERATIONS
    • Distribution
    • Plant Focus
  • TOP LISTS
    • Beer Market Report
    • Executive of the Year
    • State of the Beverage Industry
    • Top 100 Beverage Companies
    • Truck Report
    • Wholesaler of the Year
  • MEDIA
    • eBook
    • Podcast
    • Polls
    • Videos
    • Webinars
  • DIRECTORIES
    • Annual Manual
    • Contract Packaging Guide
    • Take a Tour
  • MORE
    • Classifieds
    • Channel Strategies
    • eNewsletters
    • Events
      • Membrane Technology Forum
    • Interactive Product Spotlights
    • Market Insights
    • Sponsor Insights
    • Store
    • White Papers
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • Archived Issues
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
CommentaryMarket Insights

Market Insights

Advanced disinfection furthers plant sanitization efficiency

Water efficiency, food safety top goals of beverage plants

By Brian Johnson
Market Insights- Evova
May 27, 2020

Now more than ever, particularly in the midst of COVID-19, the beverage industry faces important production, economic, market and environmental challenges. With new risks and operational costs on the rise, facility operators are under increasing pressures for greater performance, efficiency and ever higher levels of security and safety. Corporate goals to address water usage, multi-tiered sanitizing solutions and sustainability present new operational challenges. In addition, consumer and operational concerns regarding plant and food safety require increasingly stringent and vigilant plant sanitation practices.

The following are several “best practices” for beverage plant operators to be mindful of:

Advanced Disinfection Technology

Advanced Disinfection Technology for beverage plant sanitation utilizing on-site generated ozone-injected water with ultraviolet light (UV), is a present-day tool to address today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. Advanced Disinfection can increase the efficacy of plant sanitization, while reducing sanitizing time, water consumption, energy and reliance on traditional chemical sanitizers. Such benefits improve the utilization of plant resources and labor, increasing production efficiency, plant output and ultimately profitability.

History of Ozone Technology

Ozone and UV have been used to disinfect municipal water throughout the world for more than a century. Ozone technology was also approved by the USDA for use as a disinfectant in 1996. In 1997, the FDA declared ozone to be “generally regarded as safe” (GRAS) and approved ozone for food contact in 2001. Since the 1970s, the shelf life of bottled water has been ensured through low-level dosing with ozone during bottle filling. In 2012, the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) published its Good Practice Guide: Ozone Sanitization of Pharmaceutical Water Systems guidance document.  The ISPE guide was the industry’s first to look at ozone systems with UV to be a safer, more efficient and more cost-effective way to sanitize pharmaceutical water and how the technology can be incorporated into new projects and retrofitted into existing facilities.  The overriding technical and engineering principals for ozone were presented in simplified form, making it easier for companies to consider the various factors when deciding to utilize ozone versus other sanitization approaches. As the awareness of the efficacy and synergistic benefits of ozone and UV grew, so has their role as a mission critical disinfection and sanitization solution in beverage, food, and pharmaceutical/personal care manufacturing.

What is Ozone?

Ozone, the tri-atomic form of oxygen (O3), is the most powerful commercially available oxidizer and disinfectant with more oxidizing potential than traditional sanitizers. In most food and beverage plant sanitation applications, ozone gas is generated on-site and dissolved into water. Dissolved ozone is applied to surfaces to disinfect and sanitize and then removed by UV when the disinfection job is complete, or allowed to decay naturally to oxygen.  Dissolved ozone is typically used in low concentrations and applied for a short period of time to achieve desired results.

Ozone destroys common pathogenic organisms by oxidation, resulting in disinfection. In the oxidation reactions of a pathogen, the ozone forms free radicals which react with a pathogen’s cell membrane, resulting in cell lysis. Viruses, bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms are not resistant because the genetic material and proteins of the lysed is destroyed.  Residual ozone then decomposes to divalent oxygen (O2) using UV light.

Beverage Plant Pilot Study

The sanitizing and disinfecting power of ozone has been shown to increase the efficacy and effectiveness of beverage and food plant sanitation. A pilot study was conducted in a beverage plant where an integrated ozone and UV system delivered ozone-injected water to an automated clean in place (CIP) system. Ambient temperature ozonated water coupled with UV replaced the traditional hot water and chemical sanitizer in the CIP protocol. The UV system was used to eliminate the dissolved ozone at the end of the sanitizing cycle, quickly returning the line back to production. Microbiological tests for a three-step ozone-CIP process was at 97 percent negative vs. 81 percent negative for a traditional five-step hot CIP protocol.

The Sanitizing and Disinfecting Power of Ozone Coupled with UV Technology

Ozone coupled with UV offers enhanced sanitation while using less energy than traditional methods. Ozone is stable and effective at lower temperatures. This property allows ozonated water to be applied at lower temperatures, effectively replacing hot water, steam and chemical treatments. Typical ambient water temperatures (60-75 degrees F) are ideal for ozone sanitation. The net effect has significant time and energy savings resulting in more productivity and a smaller carbon footprint. For example, in the pilot study, sanitization time was reduced significantly. Doing so increased production time and yielded annual energy savings.

Ozone sanitization can also be generated on-site and reduce the chemical requirement of beverage plants, ultimately minimizing the reliance and consumption of some traditional sanitation chemicals and reduce chemical discharges. Chemical supply chains may at times be disrupted. In contrast an ozone sanitation solution produces disinfectant on site and will not be adversely affected. Treating wastewater with ozone can also be used to oxidize contaminants and thereby decrease chemical and biological oxygen demand.

Ozone based sanitization serves as a sustainable solution, reducing water consumption by effectively rinsing and disinfecting in one step, without flavor carryover or residual chemical tastes and odors. In ozone-driven CIP (O3 clean-in-place) systems, typically one or two rinse steps can be eliminated from the CIP protocol process because UV rapidly destroys any residual dissolved ozone.

Any residual dissolved ozone is neutralized by exposing it to (UV). The ability to “turn-off” ozone with UV saves time and water, decreasing both by as much as 40 percent. Tastes, odors, and colors of preceding products and chemical sanitizers are also effectively eliminated by ozone sanitation, removing any chance of the final product being altered by the sanitization process. After oxidation, residual ozone reacts to form divalent oxygen (O2) with no aftertaste or odor.

Increasing Production Efficiencies While Improving Food Safety

In the pilot study the CIP run time was reduced significantly, in some cases saving two hours per sanitization that can now be utilized towards production. With significant reductions in sanitation process times, the elimination of CIP temperature ramp-up periods and multiple rinsing cycles, line utilization and plant productivity increased – creating more output from existing production lines.

When all of the benefits are taken into consideration, it is clear that Advanced Disinfection Technology processes with ozone and UV hold tremendous potential to increase production efficiency, provide on-site generated sanitization capabilities and become a truly sustainable sanitization solution for beverage plants. Ozone and UV are powerful keys to unlocking increased production capacity and plant efficiency, while improving food safety.

KEYWORDS: beverage facility beverage manufacturing plant efficiency

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Brian Johnson is a senior product manager with Pittsburgh-based Evoqua Water Technologies, evoqua.com. The mantra of this 100-year old company is “Transforming Water. Enriching Life.” It delivers products, solutions and services to ensure water quality and consistency for municipalities, industrial water users and recreational facilities. For more information, please contact brian.johnson@evoqua.com, or call 707/747-9600.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla shakes

    Classic flavors provide reliable, consistent results for beverage-makers

    Classic flavors of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry...
    Ingredient Spotlight
    By: Chloe Alverson
  • Free Spirits Instant Bar Bundle

    Lifestyle trends drive growth for non-alcohol category

    As lifestyle trends continue to drive growth for the...
    Wine & Spirits
    By: Lauren Sabetta
  • Younger generation displays unique habits when it comes to beverage consumption

    Generation Z shakes things up in beverage

    Experts share that Gen Z is changing the standard on what...
    Beverage News
    By: Chloe Alverson
Manage My Account
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • eMagazine Subscription
  • Manage My Preferences

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Beverage Industry audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Beverage Industry or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Fourpeople toasting with cocktails made with low-sugar ingredients, celebrating healthier drink options.
    Sponsored byCargill

    What’s Hot in Sugar Reduction: Beverages

  • chocolate milk
    Sponsored byCargill

    Sweetening the Future for Dairy and Dairy-Alternative Beverages

  • woman pouring a drink
    Sponsored byFFP

    Building a Beverage System: Meeting Consumer Demand for Precision Wellness

Popular Stories

Sting Energy

PepsiCo, Sting Energy unveil global partnership with Formula 1

PepsiCo + poppi

PepsiCo completes acquisition of poppi

people drinking Wynk

Mindful drinking prompts growth for THC beverages

Vote for your favorite new product

Have your say in what makes it to the top this month!
Vote for your favorite new product and help us celebrate excellence.


VOTE NOW!

Events

April 16, 2025

2025 State of the Industry Series: Alcoholic Beverages

On Demand In Beverage Industry’s annual State of the Industry: The Alcohol Beverage Market, analysts at S&D Insights LLC delve into these trends and how they’re shaping the industry.

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Retail Coffee Segment

What retail coffee segments will fare well into the next year?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

Milk and Dairy Foods Nutrition, Processing and Healthy Aging

Milk and Dairy Foods Nutrition, Processing and Healthy Aging

See More Products

Related Articles

  • Beverage News graphic

    Setting an efficiency standard in the brewing industry

    See More
  • worker safety

    Robotic palletizers, depalletizers enhance worker safety, increase efficiency

    See More
  • Dematic trucks

    Intelligent AGV platforms boost efficiency

    See More

Events

View AllSubmit An Event
  • June 25, 2024

    How to Design and Produce Food and Beverage Packaging for the Circular Economy

    On Demand Join Husky to learn more about the broader implications of the circular economy, as well as how leading brands are leveraging this opportunity to reduce costs, increase design flexibility, and boost product differentiation.
View AllSubmit An Event
×

Elevate your expertise in the beverage marketplace with unparalleled insights and connections.

Join thousands of beverage professionals today. Shouldn’t you know what they know?

JOIN NOW!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing