Effect of Ozone as a Disinfectant on Microbial Load and Chemical Quality of Raw Wheat Germ

What is it about?

While raw seed sprouts can threaten consumers’ health by foodborne pathogens, thermal or chemical disinfection of sprouts may cause some negative effects; instead, ozone can be a good alternative treatment. This study investigated the effect of nine ozone treatments (2000, 4000, and 6000 ppm within 1, 2, and 4 h) on wheat germ chemical compositions and microbial flora. The results indicated that ozonation with 2000 ppm during 4 h was the optimized treatment with the greatest effect on decreasing the microbial load while it had the minimum effect on antioxidant properties, lipid oxidation, and moisture content of raw wheat germ.

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Photo by Michael Callaghan on Unsplash

Photo by Michael Callaghan on Unsplash

Why is it important?

While raw seed sprouts can threaten consumers’ health by foodborne pathogens, thermal or chemical disinfection of sprouts may cause some negative effects; instead, ozone can be a good alternative treatment. Ozon treatment can decrease the microbial load while it has a minimum effect on antioxidant properties, lipid oxidation, and moisture content of raw wheat germ.