Development of a portable electrolytic sanitising unit for the production of neutral electrolysed water

- A portable and affordable sanitising unit was successfully developed.
- Partial catholyte solution was reintroduced to produce neutral electrolysed water.
- Box-Behnken design was used to develop models.
- Electrolysed water generated with this unit showed strong bactericidal activity.

The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the characteristics and performance of a portable electrolytic sanitising unit. Free available chlorine (FAC), oxidation-reduction potential, and pH of electrolysed water were measured. Response surface methodology coupled with a Box-Behnken design was used to describe the input-output relationship and optimise FAC production. A partial catholyte solution was reintroduced to electrolysis for generating neutral electrolysed water. The result found that RuO2-IrO2/TiO2 electrode was very effective. A FAC concentration of 4 mg/L achieved >2 log CFU/mL reduction, while a FAC concentration of 40 mg/L achieved >6 log CFU/mL reduction in Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes BAA-839. The developed sanitiser had a pH of 7.08 ± 0.08, and the commercial sanitiser had a pH of 3.77 ± 0.18. The developed sanitiser had similar bactericidal effects as the commercial sanitiser. The results revealed that the developed sanitising unit is promising for the control of foodborne pathogens.