“Our goal when we started working with Ozone International was to control bacteria,” explained Vicky Desbiens, quality director for Quebec Wild Blueberries, a wild blueberry producer and processor that ships frozen wild blueberries to more than twenty-five countries. ”Unlike chlorine or other cleaning solutions, ozone doesn’t leave a residue on fruit.”
Once they have been harvested the wild blueberries are shipped immediately to a Quebec Wild Blueberries processing plant where they are cleaned, washed, individually quick frozen (IQF), size-graded and stored.
“We did one trial with ozone, for one season, in one plant,” added Samuel Cote, executive assistant and sales at Quebec Wild Blueberries, which was founded in 1984. “What we noticed was improved sanitation on the conveyor belts.” The belts usually turned purple after 3 or 4 weeks of processing. Using ozonated water in production kept the belts their original white. Continuous cleaning of conveyor belts to reduce bacteria is also important for seafood and poultry processors, as well as, cannery operations.
Quebec Wild Blueberries has relied on Ozone International systems for three years – increasing their ozone implementation each season. They have gone from one facility with ozone to three.
There was also a substantial reduction in heat resistant mold. A bacteria known as thermophiles can survive high temperatures. Cooking can’t kill all the fungi which has been known taint jam, vegetables and even baby food. Since a large portion of Quebec Wild Blueberries crop is used for fruit preparation (pie filling, jam, etc.) that was an important criterion for these products.
“Ozone has been recognized worldwide as an organic cleaner,” added Desbiens, who has worked with Quebec Wild Blueberries for twelve years. ”There were many products available that clean and sanitize but the choices were greatly reduced when it came to certified organic.”
Another benefit of ozone relates to basic economics. Ozone allows cold water cleaning – less expensive than hot water. In facilities like Quebec Wild Blueberries, where crops are frozen, cleaning with hot water means line workers must wait until the condensation dissipates and the conveyor belts cool down before they can resume processing. There’s no wait time with cold water. “Using cold water saves money, is easier on the berries and increases production time, which is important given a typically narrow harvest window,” said Desbiens. That’s why Quebec Wild Blueberries is considering a further expansion of their ozone use to include the daily cleaning and sanitation of their packaging department.
Like countless food processors across North America, Quebec Wild Blueberries, implemented an Ozone International system to effectively clean and sanitize, then as an added benefit, realized ozone’s economic advantages.
Source: Ozone International
