[Technology Spotlight] Cleaning Without Chemicals

“It’s not a new science at all,”
said Larry Earle, senior vice president of Live Processing, Electric Aquagenics Unlimited (EAU), Lindon, Utah. “It is the process of electrolysis.” Defined as the chemical change of a substance by the action of an electric current passing through it, electrolysis, in this case, changes a basic saline solution into a non-toxic cleaning solution which eradicates pathogens and cleans environments. EAU’s Empowered Water™ uses the technology of electrolysis in unique cleaning products with high anti-microbial capabilities and no toxicity to humans, animals or the environment. “We are simply taking that technology in a new direction,” Earle says. “We are the only people in the world who understand the significance of the technology and its potential for the processor who are willing to accept the market risk.”
The technology is of benefit to the food-processing industry in that a 10-second application of the Empowered Water kills bacteria such as E. coli and species of Salmonella, Shigella and Vibrio, as well as certain viruses, molds and yeasts. The process has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and National Organic Program for application to food and food-contact surfaces. “Our biggest applications right now are in poultry and beef,” Earle says, “but the application can be applied to anything that can be rinsed with water.”

A BRIEF HISTORY. The company first worked with the University of Georgia’s Poultry Science Department to develop this systematic approach to pathogen intervention in the HACCP plan of processing plants; then in February 2004 took the system into live in-plant tests and trials, which provided invaluable data and industry knowledge. One of the first companies EAU approached with its system was Tyson Foods Inc. Though not ready to implement it without further testing and comparative analysis, Tyson was interested in the system, Earle says. “Tyson chose to support us in research and development,” and worked with EAU to further develop the system and ready it for food-processing roll out in late 2005.  
Earle understands the challenges the company faces in convincing the industry that the Empowered Water will actually kill the pathogens, as he questioned the claims himself when he first heard about it. “I thought it was the biggest snake oil claim I’d ever heard in my life,” he says. “Then I found it actually does work, and it is something that plants need.” Now the question has instead become, “Why would you not use it?”
Having previously worked as plant manager at ConAgra, Earle understands the needs and challenges of plant and QA managers. He has also provided consulting and worked with a number of universities in lab analysis. “I’ve seen that there is a very large chasm between what you see in lab analysis and what you see in plants,” he says. The lab provides a sterile substrate, innocuous conditions and generally only one pathogen against which the product is being tested — things which are not typical of a real plant environment. But with EAU’s system having been tested and proven in real plant conditions, Earle wants to let managers know that “there are alternatives, there really are.” He notes three primary benefits of the system for plants:

1. Efficacy and compliance. Tyson’s greatest concern was implementing a product that would provide the efficacy they needed and be within all regulatory guidelines, Earle says. With the product approved for food and food-contact use and proven to kill more than 200 pathogen species, he says, “Our efficacy is comparable to anything on the market. The only thing I have found that we have an issue with is biofilm,” he adds. The system can remediate biofilm and kill Listeria, but contact time is 60 seconds — much higher than its standard 10 seconds.
2. Chemical-free process. “It’s simply water, power and salt. There are no chemicals,” Earle says. “There is nothing to affect the waste-water stream.” Manufactured primarily from normal tap water, the Empowered Water possesses zero toxicity to humans and animals and is proven environmentally and ecologically safe.
3. Cost-effectiveness. The system is easy to use, limiting labor costs, and has an estimated 30% lower operational cost than comparable systems with no additional concerns of chemical remediation from the waste-water stream, Earle says. QA

The company is currently in a phased roll out of the system, having presented a new product introduction at the World Wide Food Expo in October 2005. More information is available on the company’s Web site www.eau-x.com or by calling 801/443-1031.