# Application of Electrolyzed Water in the Food Industry: A Review
## 2 Application of Electrolyzed Water in the Food Industry
### Types of Electrolyzed Water  
Electrolyzed water has been regarded as an emerging sanitizer due to its antimicrobial activity against a wide range of microorganisms within a very short period of time. The production of electrolyzed water (EW) is carried out in an electrolysis chamber, which may contain dilute salt (NaCl) or a solution of hydrogen chloride (HCI) [61]. Electrolyzed water is produced by the electrolysis of dilute salt (NaCl) solution containing a diaphragm to separate the anode and cathode. Depending on the production conditions, the devices being used, and the electrolyte solution, the electrolyzed water can be categorized as alkaline, acidic, or neutral electrolyzed water. Electrolyzed oxidizing water (EOW) with a pH of 2-3, an oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) greater than 1100 mV, and an available chlorine concentration (ACC) of 10-90 ppm is produced at the anode [62]. At the same time, alkaline electrolyzed water, basic electrolyzed water (BEW), or electrolyzed reduced water (ERW) with a pH of 10-13 and an oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) from \(-800\) to \(-900\) is produced at the cathode. Alkaline electrolyzed water (ALEW) with a pH of 10-11.5 and an oxidation reduction potential 800-900 mV is produced at the cathode [63]. Other novel electrolyzed water forms include weak acidic electrolyzed water (WAEW), slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW), and neutral electrolyzed water (NEW). SAEW is produced in a single cell chamber with a pH of between 5.5 and 6.5, an oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) from 800 to 900 mV, and an available chlorine concentration (ACC) between 10 and 80 ppm [64]. SEAW is very popular in China, Japan, and Korea [64; 65; 66; 67]. SAEW is produced solely by the electrolysis of HCl or in a single cell unit combined with NaCl [68]. NEW is generated by mixing OH- ions with anodic solutions [69]. The EW is stored in special material containers through conservation in dark conditions or by being converted to other forms, i.e., ice cubes for further use, and the water processing is shown in Figure 1[70]. Figure 2: Main factors responsible for food spoilage. The systems for producing this electrolyzed water may be divided into those which may or may not contain a diaphragm to separate the anode and cathode. The machines containing a diaphragm generate acidic electrolyzed water (AEW) and alkaline electrolyzed water (ALEW), while those lacking a diaphragm produce slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) and neutral electrolyzed water (NEW) [71]. From a food safety perspective, AEW has strong antiseptic effects against food pathogenic microorganisms [71]. However, ALEW, owing to its strong reducing properties, finds its application in removing grease and dust from kitchen utensils, chopping boards, working kitchen surfaces, and others [65]. According to [PERSON] and [PERSON] [72], AEW is a promising strategy to preserve different raw meat, ready-to-eat meat, chicken, fish, and others without affecting their sensory characteristics. In this regard, AEW can be applied to different types of food and against different pathogens. Moreover, a variety of products can be candidates for the application of AEW to increase shelf life and decrease the incidence of foodborne diseases [72]. Commercial generators for AEW are of mainly three types, depending upon the automatic controls the systems contain. In the first type, the user can adjust the brine flow rate, while the machine automatically calibrates and adjusts the voltage and amperage. In the second type of generator, the machine accordingly adjusts the brine flow rate while a user can revamp the voltage and amperage. In the third type, the user is allowed to regulate the chlorine concentration level. Thus, depending upon these settings, generators can adjust their voltage, brine flow rate, and amperage [65; 71; 73].