Water Is More Than Just Water
Not all water is created equal. Water content varies greatly from our faucets to rivers and lakes, being composed of much more than simply hydrogen and oxygen molecules. Almost all water which is retrieved from a primary source includes a variety of minerals and organisms, some which may be beneficial for production, and some which may be hazardous. Common practice in the food industry is to use chlorine and other chemicals to attempt to prevent and limit the growth of these harmful pathogens in the water. Water is an essential component in the food industry, seeing as food products are mainly composed of water. It is important to obtain adequate physicochemical and organoleptic properties in the water, in order to ensure the most efficient and safe production process possible. Seeing as water can vary in these properties by the hour, and can harbour dangerous pathogens, producers are always looking for ways to efficiently standardize their water quality at its optimal values.
How Does Water Quality Affect Food Production?
It is essential that water quality in the food industry is closely controlled to comply with industry parameters and optimize efficiency and product parameters. Great water quality creates favourable conditions for food production and reduces bacteria and pathogens, which can potentially affect the end consumer. Optimal water quality can also reduce environmental pollution which arises from wastewater from food production plants. Several parameters must be maintained within ideal ranges in order to ensure highest productivity. These parameters are: temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, alkalinity, pH, settleable solids, and conductivity, among others.
What Can Engeenuity Offer Your Food Production?
Improved Shelf-Life and Overall Quality
In several tests run in Siliker, Inc. Research Center in the United States, both in milk and in meat, we were able to reduce the bacterial count by upwards of 85% compared to control. We have a track record of increasing the shelf life of milk, meat, cheese, bread, fish, and many other food items. In a milk test, we were able to maintain CFU’s substantially below spoilage level, eliminate curdling and odor, 67 days after the “Sell By” date. In a commercial bakery test, while six of the fourteen control samples began to show mold growth on day #13, on day #22 none of the Engeenuity treated samples had shown any mold growth whatsoever.
Environmental Control/ Bacteria & Pathogen Reduction
By introducing our bacteriostatic mechanism of action in the water, we were able to prove our capacity to reduce the presence of bacteria and pathogen in several different industries, ranging from milk, to ground beef and water treatment. By applying our Bacteriostatic Mechanism of Action, we can inhibit the reproduction of bacteria in any environment, but especially if there is water present. By applying our technology in your processes, not only can you control the parameters of the water which enters your process, but also control the quality of the final product. In river water, we decreased the growth rate and total count of microbial contamination in organic systems or in water by >90%, in five consecutive tests, which, in conclusion, helps to use considerably less amount of chemicals to achieve the desired results.
Reduced Chemicals in Water Management Systems & Products
One of the main water parameters which Engeenuity is able to modify is surface tension. By reducing surface tension in water, we are able to weaken the water’s molecular bonds, allowing more efficient unions between chemical and water molecules, which also causes for the water to more readily soak into pores and organisms. On several tests run in a chemical production plant in Panama, we were able to reduce by >50% the amount of active ingredients in Cleaner, Glass Cleaner, and Degreaser/Hard Surface Cleaner, yet provided improved cleaning capacity compared to the original mixtures. This effect has also been replicated in water used for human consumption, in the Panama Canal’s Miraflores Water Treatment Plant, where we reduced coliform bacteria by >90% and a decrease in total bacteria by upwards of 60%, without using chemicals. Engeenuity’ s technology required lower costs by eliminating chlorine and other chemicals used in treating process water and chemicals used in the product mixtures. It was also mentioned that one of the 4 quantifiable objectives of improvements caused by Engeenuity´s technology was minimizing the use of chlorine and other chemicals used in their processes, which reduced costs and improved workers´ health.