By: Dr. Nurul Izzah Khalid

Senior Lecturer

Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

 

Figure 1: On-site electrolyzed water system for SMEs—turning simple salt and water into sustainable cleaning and disinfection solutions for the food industry.

 

In Malaysia’s food sector, sanitation is both a necessity and a challenge. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), especially in the frozen meat industry, often struggle with high chemical costs, limited storage, and lack of skilled labor. Traditional cleaning programs rely heavily on alkaline detergents, acid washes, and hot-water disinfection—all of which demand significant resources.

 

Electrolyzed Water (EW) offers an attractive alternative. Through the electrolysis of a simple salt solution, it produces two streams: Acidic Electrolyzed Water (AcEW), which functions as a disinfectant, and Alkaline Electrolyzed Water (AlEW), which serves as a cleaning agent. Both streams reduce dependence on costly chemical products while providing environmental benefits, since EW reverts back to water and salt after use.

 

Stability Matters: Lab Findings

 

Experimental studies on EW stability reveal its strengths and limitations.

 

• AcEW: Maintains acidic pH and high oxidative-reduction potential (ORP) for up to 5 days, but chlorine and hydrogen peroxide levels drop sharply after day 3—making fresh use essential for maximum antimicrobial impact.

 

• AlEW: Retains stable high pH for cleaning, though ORP drops within 2–3 days. Still, its alkalinity ensures continued effectiveness against fat and protein soils.

 

In practice, because EW generators are installed on-site, fresh EW can be generated immediately whenever it is required. This eliminates dependency on stored chemicals and ensures maximum activity during sanitation. However, any extra EW produced can still be stored for later use, though its stability declines over time. This flexibility allows SMEs to adopt a weekly production cycle, generating sufficient EW for immediate sanitation while keeping a backup supply for routine cleaning.

 

What SMEs Say: Survey Insights

 

A survey of frozen-meat SMEs highlights six major sanitation challenges: inadequate sanitation programs, low worker knowledge, lack of hot water, difficulty cleaning narrow spaces, financial constraints, and chemical storage issues. Despite these barriers, SMEs showed strong willingness to adopt EW technology—especially portable electrolysis units combining hot-water jets with EW generation. Such systems address multiple challenges at once: fat removal, sanitation of hard-to-reach areas, and reduced chemical dependence.

 

Toward Greener Sanitation

 

Electrolyzed water is not a silver bullet but represents a significant step toward sustainable sanitation. By lowering chemical costs, reducing storage needs, and easing wastewater burdens, EW can help SMEs improve food safety while aligning with global sustainability goals. Adoption will require initial investment, staff training, and validation of effectiveness, but the long-term payoff is promising.

 

Reference:

 

Khalid, N. I., Sulaiman, N. S., Ab Aziz, N., Taip, F. S., Sobri, S., & Nor-Khaizura, M. A. R. (2021). Stability of electrolyzed water: from the perspective of food industry. Food Research, 5(S1), 47–56. https://doi.org/10.26656/fr.2017.5(S1).027

 

Khalid, N. I., Jalil, N. A., Ab Aziz, N., Harun, M. M., Taip, F. S., Nor-Khaizura, M. A. R., Sobri, S., & Yusof, Y. A. (2024). Sanitation knowledge and practices of Malaysian food SMEs: Addressing current issues and readiness in acceptance of green sanitation technology. International Journal on Advanced Science, Engineering and Information Technology, 14(1). 181-188.

 

 

 

Date of Input: 30/09/2025 | Updated: 30/09/2025 | nur_jasni