Evaluation of physicochemical properties and bactericidal activity of efficient Chemical Germicidal Water (CGW)

•We made a systematic discussion on the physicochemical properties of Chemical Germicidal Water (CGW).•CGW has much higher biocidal activity towards Escherichia coli than NaClO at equivalent available chlorines.•CGW has various advantages such as lower concentration of sterilization, no residue, no pollution, and no harm to human body.•We have performed the preliminary investigation of sterilization mechanism.

Chemical Germicidal Water (CGW) with an effective bactericidal ability was put forward and physicochemical properties, the stability of CGW under different storage conditions, and ultrasonic frequency were investigated. By the aid of plate count method, Escherichia coli was completely inactivated after contacting CGW 10 s, while the bacterial population reduced from 7.6 to 5.29 log CFU/mL by using sodium hypochlorite (NaClO). At the same time, CGW posses lower Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (2 mg/L) and higher bactericidal ability. CGW can reach bacteria killing rate of 97% in a simulation scene room for sterilization, and more than 82% in a dairy processing workshop. Mechanism of action clarified that CGW not only broke the membranes of the bacterium but also destroyed intracellular protein, nucleic acid structures, etc. These results indicate that CGW is an ideal candidate for replacing traditional biocide such as NaClO in the field of food processing industry.