Nanobubbles in Produce & Food Washing

Nanobubble water can be considered for removing surface debris from produce such as fruits and vegetables and for pre-processing washes in food processing.

Items such as leafy vegetables and fruit vegetables differ in surface structure, attached soils and sensitivity to physical damage. Nanobubble water can be considered as wash water supplied to existing immersion or spray washing equipment.

However, the same washing conditions cannot be applied to every food. Honour Tech checks the items, throughput, washing method and current water and sanitizing method to review a suitable system configuration, and the actual cleaning effect is best confirmed through comparison tests with the target items.

Nanobubble water can be considered as wash water that complements the removal of soil, dust and other debris attached to produce surfaces.

Debris tends to remain on produce depending on surface contours and tissue characteristics, and washing performance depends on immersion time, water flow, spray pressure and wash water condition. Nanobubble water can be used in conjunction with these existing washing methods.

However, Honour Tech's produce and food washing application is currently at the "early market" stage, and removal performance needs to be verified for individual items. In practice, it is appropriate to compare ordinary water and nanobubble water under the same conditions to evaluate residual debris and washing quality.

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Air or oxygen nanobubbles are used for washing soil and debris from produce surfaces; where microbial reduction is needed, the gas, such as ozone, and treatment conditions are designed separately.

Ordinary nanobubble washing and disinfection or oxidation with ozone differ in purpose and action. With ozone nanobubbles, dissolved ozone concentration, contact time, target microorganisms and organic content of the raw water are important, and direct application to food must also meet the safety and hygiene standards for that use.

It is therefore best to evaluate produce washing processes separately for cleaning performance (removing debris) and hygiene performance (reducing microorganisms). Honour Tech reviews the gas and test conditions suited to the treatment purpose.

When applying nanobubble water, surface damage and retention of marketability must be checked as well as debris removal performance.

Surface damage to produce is affected not only by the wash water itself but also by spray pressure, flow velocity, immersion time, mechanical contact and the characteristics of the item. It therefore cannot be concluded that switching from ordinary water to nanobubble water will by itself reduce surface damage or improve quality.

Honour Tech recommends comparing existing washing conditions with nanobubble conditions for each item, evaluating debris removal, appearance changes and surface damage together. Washing intensity and treatment time can be adjusted if needed, but maintaining product quality standards comes first.

HQN is the first choice for processes centered on wash water supply performance, while HTV can be chosen for food processes where wetted-part materials and hygiene and cleaning management matter.

HQN is a product series for washing processes that require a supply of dense nanobubble water. HTV is a product series with stainless steel (All SUS) internal modules and can be considered for processes where wetted-part materials and hygiene requirements are critical.

However, the use of stainless steel alone does not guarantee that every hygiene requirement or cleaning and sterilization suitability of food manufacturing equipment is met. Honour Tech checks the items, gas, supply flow rate, wetted-part materials and hygiene standards of existing equipment to review a suitable model and connection method.

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