The present invention relates to a method for treating food and agricultural products using alkaline electrolyzed oxidizing water alone or as part of brine solutions or marinades.
Chemical deterioration like oxidative spoilage is of great interest to the food industry. For example, lipid oxidation in meat before cooking follows the lipid autoxidation scheme and affects its flavor and color of meat products. Antioxidants are considered to function as scavengers against reactive oxygen species or free radicals. A free radical is any molecule which contains one or more unpaired electrons. The most familiar antioxidants are vitamins A, C, E and some minerals. Many food compounds such as phytochemicals in plants and zoochemcials from animals are also believed to have strong antioxidant effects.
A process involving electrolysis of water can produce water with bioactive components. Reduced water produced by electrolysis (alkaline electrolyzed oxidizing water referred to as alkaline EO water) has a strong reduction potential, low dissolved oxygen and high dissolved hydrogen and functions as antioxidants due to neutralize reactive oxygen species. Oxidant water produced by electrolysis (acidic electrolyzed water referred to as acidic EO water) has a strong microbicidal effect.
Oxidation reduction potential (ORP) is an index to show the oxidizing effect and reducing effect of a liquid. If ORP is negative, the liquid has a reducing effect. Immediately after electrolysis, ORP of alkaline EO water is −800 mV or less. An electrolyzed alkaline aqueous solution has been considered to function as a scavenger against reactive oxygen species (J. Hanaoka et al. in Appl. Electro. 31: 1307-1313, 2001 and S. Shirahata et al. in Biochem. Biophysic. Res. Corn. 234: 269-274, 1997). Alkaline EO water also has been reported to be supersaturated with hydrogen and has a great redox potential (K. Kikuchi et al. in J. Appl. Electro. 31: 1301-1306, 2001). Several scientists have reported that hydrogen gas in the alkaline EO water exhibited antioxdative activities (K. Miyashita et al. in Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem. 63:421-423, 1999 and S. Shirahata et al. in Biochem. Biophysic. Res. Corn. 234: 269-274, 1997)). In another study, it was reported that alkaline EO water completely inhibited the aqueous oxidation of polyunsaturated lipids such as ethyl linoleate and ethyl docosahexaenoate (K. Miyashita et al. in Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem. 63: 421-423, 1999).
The present invention provides a method for treatment of food and agricultural products using alkaline electrolyzed oxidizing (EO) water. The food and agricultural product can be contacted with the alkaline EO water for a time to achieve certain benefits described herein. The food and agricultural products include, but are not limited to, meat, poultry, hot dogs, produce such as vegetables and fruit, and nuts, seafood, and cut flowers.
In an illustrative embodiment of the invention, alkaline EO water is used to remove heme and non-heme pigments and fat of mechanically separated chicken meat (MSC) during contacting of the MSC and the alkaline EO water. The strong reduction potential and oxygen radical absorbance capacity of alkaline EO water can prevent lipid oxidation of the washed chicken meat during transportation and storage. EO water also prevents lipid oxidation of brine solutions for hot dogs chilling operation.
The present invention also provides a method for making marinade wherein the marinade includes alkaline electrolyzed oxidizing (EO) water as an ingredient of the marinade.
The present invention still further provides a brine solution that includes alkaline electrolyzed oxidizing (EO) water. The brine solution including the alkaline electrolyzed oxidizing (EO) water can be employed to chill hot dogs after cooking.
Advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following description taken with the following drawings.
The present invention provides in one embodiment a method for treatment of food and agricultural products using alkaline electrolyzed oxidizing (EO) water. The food and agricultural product can be contacted with the alkaline EO water for a time to achieve certain benefits and include, but are not limited to, meat, poultry, fresh produce such as vegetables and fruit, and nuts, seafood, and cut flowers.
The alkaline EO water used in practice of the invention can be produced using any available design of the electrolysis process with any electrolytic cell as long as the alkaline EO water has the properties described in the next paragraph. An electrolytic cell and process useful in practicing the invention are described below under Electrolytic Cell and are illustrated in the figures described below.
In practice of the invention, the alkaline EO water can have a pH in the range of about 8 to about 12, an ORP in the range of −100 mV to −1000 mV, and temperature in the range of 32 to 80 degrees F. The alkaline EO water can be produced at the cathode(s) of the electrolytic cell, or at the anode(s) of the electrolytic cell if the pH can be modified to be in the range of about 8 to about 12.
An exemplary alkaline EO water had the following properties after electrolysis: pH=11 and ORP of −800 mV in the temperature range. This exemplary akaline EO water was produced using an electrolytic cell of the type shown in
Mechanically separated chicken meat (MSC) was treated either by spraying the carcasses before mechanical meat separation or by mixing the MSC with the exemplary alkaline EO water at room or refrigerated temperature for 30 seconds to 5 minutes with or without blending. Blending was effected by placing the MSC and the alkaline EO water in a bag and shaking the bag. Excess alkaline EO water was removed from the MSC by centrifugal force.
The treatment of the chicken meat was found to remove heme and non-heme pigments and fat of the mechanically separated chicken meat (MSC) during washing. The strong reduction potential and oxygen radical absorbance capacity of alkaline EO water can prevent lipid oxidation of the washed chicken meat during transportation and storage. Alkaline EO water washed MSC has a lighter color and longer shelf life than un-washed MSC. Thus, an illustrative commercial application of the invention involves treating MSC with alkaline EO water.
Another commercial application of the invention involves using alkaline EO water in brine solution employed to chill hot dogs after cooking. The brine solution with alkaline EO water pursuant to the invention can remove fat and protein from the surface of the hot dogs. Alkaline EO water can also enhance the stability of the brine solution by preventing the oxidation of lipids in the brine solution and enhance the quality of hot dogs by preventing the development of off-flavor of the brine solution.
Still another commercial application of the invention involves using the alkaline EO water to prepare marinade products to prevent oxidation reactions during marination. The alkaline EO water is incorporated as an ingredient in the preparation of the mainade itself. The present invention thereby envisions a method for making marinade as well as the marinade wherein the marinade includes alkaline electrolyzed oxidizing (EO) water as an ingredient of the marinade.
The alkaline EO water used in practice of the invention can be produced using any available design of the electrolysis process with any electrolytic cell as long as the alkaline EO water has the properties described in the paragraphs above.
For purposes of illustration and not limitation,
Referring to
The feed water to be electrolyzed can comprise a dilute aqueous NaCl solution, such as 0.01% to 25% by weight NaCl solution, although the invention can be practiced to electrolyze other aqueous solutions of KCl, MgCl2 and other salts.
Referring to the embodiment of
The feed water is cathodically electrolyzed in the cathode chambers 14 to produce EO water as alkaline catholyte. The feed water is anodically electrolyzed in the anode chambers 12 to produce electrolyzed (EO) water as anolyte whose pH can be modified for use in the invention. The pH-modified, anodically electrolyzed water (anolyte) is discharged from the anode chambers 12 by way of an anolyte discharge conduit 30 for collection and use. The cathodically electrolyzed water (catholyte) is discharged from the cathode chambers 14 by way of a catholyte discharge conduit 32 for collection and use and for recycling back to the anode chambers 12. In practice of the embodiment of the invention for the treating tests of the mechanically separated chicken meat (MSC) described above, almost all of the cathodically electrolyzed water was collected from conduit 32 for treatment the MSC (that is; substantially no catholyte was recycled back to the anode chambers).
However, the invention envisions using pH-modified anodically electrolyzed water (anolyte) if its pH can be modified to be in the range of about 8 to about 12. To this end, the apparatus includes catholyte return conduit 22 or other means for returning a portion of the alkaline catholyte from the cathode chamber 14 to the feed water in supply conduit 20 to provide a blend of the feed water and the catholyte to the anode chambers 12. The blend of feed water and catholyte is also provided to the cathode chambers 14. The flow rate of feed water in the cathode chambers 14 typically is substantially equal to the flow rate of the blend of feed water and recycled catholyte in the anode chambers 12, although different flow rates can be provided through the chambers 12, 14. A conventional valve 24 made of PVC is provided between the catholyte discharge conduit 32 and the catholyte return conduit 22 to control the flow rate of catholyte returned to the feed water. The return conduit 22 can be communicated to the supply conduit 20 by use of a conventional T-junction 23 or any other suitable pipe connecting means. The flow rate of the alkaline catholyte recycled or returned from the catholyte discharge conduit 32 to the feed water in supply conduit 20 is controlled to control pH of the anodically electrolyzed water (anolyte) in anode chamber 12 to provide a pH value of about 8 to about 12.
Apparatus functioning as shown and described for
When assembled, the end frame 19 includes feed water supply conduit 20 on its exterior side communicated in flow relation to a passage 25 therethrough to a manifold 27 on its interior side,
The invention can be practiced to wash or otherwise treat food and agricultural products, that include, but are not limited to, meat, poultry, fresh produce such as vegetables and fruit, and nuts, seafood, and cut flowers.
Although the invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention is not limited and changes and modifications can be made therein within the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
This application is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 10/927,924 filed Aug. 27, 2004, and also claims priority and benefits of provisional application Ser. No. 60/962,091 filed Jul. 26, 2007.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
60962091 | Jul 2007 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 10927924 | Aug 2004 | US |
Child | 12220315 | US |