## 5 Conclusions  
The bactericidal potential of electrolyzed water has been thoroughly evaluated and confirmed as a highly effective method for reducing in vitro bacterial population using the pathogen _V. harveyi_ as a model. The rapid and strong bactericidal effect of FAC at 125 ppm within less than one minute underscores its potential in disinfection. A significant reduction in the concentration of _V. harveyi_ strains was achieved at 20 and 25 ppm of FAC, a pH of 7.5, and an oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) value close to 950 mV. This phenomenal bactericidal power positions EW as a promising alternative for controlling pathogenic bacteria in aquaculture facilities. This study also highlights the critical role of the environment to determine the EW's antibacterial activity. In fact, the effect of organic matter suggests that medium composition influences disinfectant efficacy. This aligns with prior research indicating that organic matter can react with available chlorine, reducing its effectiveness and necessitating adjustments in disinfection protocols.  
The outstanding ability of EW to eliminate bacteria suggests its direct applicability in the aquaculture industry. The on-site generation of electrolyzed water using only common salt (NaCl) and water not only facilitates its immediate application but also reduces health risks associated with consumers and workers. This innovative approach eliminates the need for thermal inactivation treatments and also avoids difficult-to-obtain or handle chemicals.  
In terms of environmental footprint, it is relevant to highlight that these chlorine-based disinfectants offer a relatively short lifetime in water and degrade upon contact with the organic matter, thus minimizing their environmental impact. The application of electrolyzed water emerges as a promising technology, opening doors to ongoing research and development in this field, with significant implications for improving healthy and sustainable practices in aquaculture and beyond. However, the application of the EW into aquaculture facilities will require experiments related to the toxicity for the species of interest. Further experiments are being considered for testing the toxicity of EW for some marine fish and invertebrate species. In fact, the concentration used in this study is below the limit reported by [PERSON] et al. [11] as adverse for marine species, set at 27.2 ppm.  
All authors contributed equally. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This study forms part of the ThinkInAzul programme and was supported by MICIU with funding from European Union NextGenerationEU (PTRR-C17.I1) and by Generalitat Valenciana (GVA-THINKINAZUL/2021/028; principle investigator: [PERSON], Universitat de Valencia (UV)) and (GVA-THINKINAZUL/2021/027; principle investigators: [PERSON] and [PERSON], Universitat de Valencia (UV)); PID2020-120619 RB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and CIAICO/2021/293 by \"Conselleria de Innovacion, Universidades, Ciencia y Sociedad Digital\" (GV, Spain). [PERSON] received funds from the grant MRR-GVA Programa Investigo 2022.  
The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors.  
We thank Culmarex S.A.U. and Skretting Spain companies for providing strains for this study.  
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.