Clean vegetables is also called fresh sterilized vegetables, which is a product made by vacuum packaging of newly picked vegetables after finishing (such as removing inedible parts, cutting, etc.), washing, and disinfecting in a sterile environment.

 

Clean vegetables must meet the principle of “eight nos and eights”. Eight nos refer to excessive pesticide residues, no heavy metal residues, no nitrite residues, no other pollution, no green leaves, no sediment, no debris, no stems. Leafy vegetables do not have roots. Eight-yes means that they have production standards, have production and sales records, have quality inspections, have product packaging, have harvest and shelf life, have registered trademarks, have food instructions, and have cold chain storage and transportation.

 

In recent years, clean vegetable processing has been regarded as one of the important directions for the development of the vegetable industry in the future.

In terms of industrial poverty alleviation, the development of a clean vegetable industry can increase farmers’ income and accelerate the integration of the tertiary industries.

In terms of urban environmental governance, the development of a clean vegetable industry will reduce the amount of garbage entering the city. In general, 30% of vegetables are inedible parts such as vegetable leaves, vegetable stalks, and vegetable roots, which are likely to cause pollution in all links such as the transportation, sales, household production, and garbage disposal of the hairy cabbage. At the same time, urban vegetable waste will produce a large amount of leachate during landfill treatment, which will affect the environment and groundwater around the landfill, and it will also volatilize to produce harmful gases.

In terms of agriculture, the development of the clean vegetable industry can achieve priority treatment in the production area and turn waste into treasure.

It is understood that some developed countries and regions, such as Japan, Europe and the United States, currently have a net vegetable market rate of over 80%. According to the garbage reduction policy formulated by Japan, not only the unprocessed Mao Cai be banned from entering the city, but the banned area is also expanding with the expansion of the city.

After nearly two decades of development, my country’s clean vegetable industry has grown from scratch, and has gradually embarked on the development track of large-scale planting, industrialized processing, and specialized management. However, there is still much room for improvement and development in my country’s clean vegetable industry. Judging from the market demand of domestic consumption upgrading and the industry development trajectory of developed countries such as Europe and the United States, my country’s clean vegetable industry will usher in a new stage of development.

 

Problems in the clean vegetable processing industry

Because fresh vegetables themselves have shortcomings such as perishable deterioration and susceptibility to pollution, strict management is required during the processing of clean vegetables. Only strict control over raw materials, processing, storage, transportation, and sales can ensure their high quality and safety. .

From the key points of the quality and safety of clean vegetable processing enterprises, it is not difficult to see that sanitary issues and processing techniques are the key points that affect the clean vegetable process, and the use of disinfectants directly affects health and safety. Therefore, in the clean vegetable processing project, the disinfectant It is a big issue that cannot be ignored.

At present, foreign countries have adopted clean vegetable cleaning and sterilization as a critical control point for hazard analysis (HACCP), combined with good production practices (GMP), which can not only reduce diseases caused by these pathogens, but also extend the storage life of vegetables.

 

Electrolyzed water technology helps clean vegetable processing

In 2002, Japan promulgated the “Manual of Acidic Electrolyzed Water for Food Additives” for the food processing industry, catering, and disinfection of fruits and vegetables, expanding the application of acidic electrolyzed water to the catering and food processing industries.

The US FDA recognizes that an aqueous solution containing hypochlorous acid with an effective chlorine concentration of not more than 60 ppm can be used to wash, rinse or cool fruits, vegetables, whole fish or fresh-cut fish and seafood processing water or ice.

The domestic standard “GB28234-2011 Safety and Hygiene Standard for Acidic Oxidation Potential Water Generator” confirms that it can be used in areas such as tableware, fruit and vegetable disinfection.

 

The application of acidic electrolyzed water technology in the field of clean vegetable processing has the following advantages:

Fast sterilization

Acidic electrolyzed water as a bactericide has been widely used to kill food-borne pathogens on the surface of vegetables. Rahman et al. treated spinach with deionized water, acidic electrolyzed water, ozone water, 1% citric acid and sodium hypochlorite solution at room temperature for 3 minutes, and the study found that compared with other cleaning agents, acidic electrolyzed water had the best sterilization effect.

Reduce pesticide residues

Extend shelf life

Studies have shown that using electrolyzed water to treat fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, grapes, tomatoes, etc., it is found that the surface of various fruits and vegetables and the total number of microorganisms after the treatment are significantly reduced, the rotten rate of the fruits is reduced, and the consumption of nutrients in the fruits is reduced, and the respiration of the fruits is found. The strength is suppressed, the aging process of fruits and vegetables is delayed, and the shelf life of fruits and vegetables is effectively prolonged.

Improve the production environment

A large amount of experimental data shows that acidic electrolyzed water can be used as a cleaning agent to reduce the microbial infection of food processing equipment and the surfaces in contact with the product. Shen Xiaosheng and others used acid electrolyzed water, alkaline electrolyzed water and neutral electrolyzed water to clean 5 kinds of food processing surface contact materials (floor tiles, stainless steel plates, ceramic tiles, gloves, rags) and found that acidic electrolyzed water has a better sterilization effect , Can kill almost all food-borne pathogens inoculated on various food processing surface contact materials within 5 minutes.

Reduce weightlessness

High-concentration or improper cleaning agents may cause cell loss and weight loss in the vegetable cleaning process, and eventually cause leafy vegetables to wilt and reduce economic benefits.

Residual

Since the slightly acidic electrolyzed water is easy to decompose, after cleaning with electrolyzed water, compared with sodium hypochlorite, the slightly acidic electrolyzed water can be quickly decomposed without forming residues, and no secondary cleaning is required.

At present, China’s clean vegetable processing industry is entering an era of rapid development, and cleaning is one of the most important links in the clean vegetable processing process, which plays an important role in extending the shelf life of the clean vegetable and improving the quality and economic benefits of the clean vegetable.

As a new type of cleaning and disinfectant, acidic electrolyzed water has great application value in clean vegetable processing.