In the food and beverage production industry, the pursuit of hygiene and health is always the goal. With today’s increasingly serious water pollution, people’s attention to the water safety in the food and beverage production industry is also increasing. In the municipal water supply system, it is difficult to completely handle all the water since there will always be inevitable dead corners in the sterilization process. And water is often so easily to be contaminated by various microorganisms. The food and beverage production industry has an irreplaceable demand for water. So, the efficient treatment of this key resource is critical. Ultraviolet(UV) sterilization has been increasingly recognized as the best alternative to conventional chemical treatments. Its performance has been sufficient to meet the increasingly stringent water quality requirements of food and beverage companies worldwide.
How UV Water Treatment is Achieved?
One of the key advantages of UV water treatment over other methods in the food and beverage production industry is that it is a chemical-free treatment solution. It can effectively sterilize raw materials such as water and syrup needed in the process of processing food and beverage products. For the sterilization of liquid sugar, UV water treatment is the only feasible and efficient method. Compared with the strict dose and time control of chemical products use in chemical treatment methods, both the principle of UV application and the structure of the equipment are much simpler. It kills harmful microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, mold and spores in the water by emitting radiation directly from their ultraviolet lamps.
Since different microorganisms have different sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation, it is necessary to set the UV radiation dose according to the particular situation of the water to be treated. When UV treatment is in progress, UV rays can penetrate the DNA of a variety of harmful microorganisms in the water and break down the binding between their adenine and thymine bases. This prevents those harmful microorganisms from multiplying further. The process is so efficient that it will be finished in just seconds. The radiation power of the UV lamp and the length of the UV chamber in the equipment can both be adjusted and selected based on how the water has been polluted. The ultraviolet lamps used in the UV water treatment can be divided into low-pressure lamps and medium-pressure lamps. Low-pressure UV lamps use less power and emit a monochromatic wavelength of 254 nm. Medium-pressure lamps emit about 10 times the energy of low-pressure lamps, and they emit a polychromatic wavelength of 200-400 nm. Medium-pressure UV lamps consume more power, but their advantage is that they are more effective against stubborn microbes in the water. A single medium-pressure UV lamp can achieve the effect of multiple low-pressure UV lamps.
Comparison between UV Water Treatment and Conventional Water Treatment
Among conventional water treatment methods, the most common solution will be water chlorination. Chlorination is achieved mainly through hypochlorous acid, chlorine dioxide and other chemical components. When these components are spread to the bacteria’s surface, they can penetrate the cell membrane and go into the cell’s interior, where they can kill the bacteria by destroying their enzyme systems. However, due to the high toxicity of these chlorine compounds, there are strict requirements for their use, transportation and storage when they are used. Just take chlorine dioxide for example. It is one of the most commonly used chlorine compounds. The production of chlorine dioxide requires not only a special reaction system, but also the use of large amounts of sodium chlorate and hydrochloric acid. And that means a lot of money will be spent for the investment.
Compared with traditional chlorination treatment, UV water treatment adopts UV-C band ultraviolet as the sterilization light source. It achieves the best balance between intensity and efficiency. The advantages of the UV method are as follows:
1. Highly efficient and broad spectrum
Ultraviolet has a high sterilization efficiency. When the UV intensity is at 30,000 uW/cm, the sterilization can be completed within 1 second, while chlorination usually takes 30 – 60 minutes. It is highly effective against almost all bacteria and viruses. Moreover, chlorine-resistant microorganisms that often existed in conventional chlorination treatment can also be effectively killed.
2. No secondary pollution
Since UV water treatment does not use any chemicals, it will not cause any secondary pollution to the water, nor will it change the original chemical properties of the water.
3. Safe and reliable
Compared with a series of operation of hazardous chemicals in water chlorination, there will be no safety risks in the UV treatment process. So, there are obvious advantages when environmental protection and safety are concerned.
4. Continuous working process and low cost in operation and maintenance
UV water treatment equipment can work 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. The sterilization process can be continuous all year around with only the requirement for 1-2 hours for the maintenance of the equipment. As a result, UV solution has the lowest operating and maintenance costs compared with other treatment methods.
Therefore, because of the above advantages, UV solution has become the most effective, the most economical and safe sterilization water treatment method on the market today. For a detailed comparison between UV treatment and chlorination treatment, please refer to our previous blog UV Water Treatment and Chlorination Treatment.
Specific Applications of UV Water Treatment in Food and Beverage Production Industry
As a non-chemical treatment, UV water solution is providing an efficient and fast sterilization solution for the process water and raw materials such as syrups in the food and beverage production industry. Its applications include:
1. Bottled water
Although mineral and natural waters keep emphasizing that there will be no further treatment needed, to ensure safety, UV water sterilization can still provide the necessary process control for their production. UV water treatment will not affect the original color or taste of the final products.
2. Beverage
UV water treatment solution can provide beverage manufacturers with the necessary sterile water. Because sugar is widely added to various kinds of beverages, beverage UV sterilization can prevent the growth of microorganisms such as yeast, thermophilic bacteria and mold.
3. The dairy products
UV method can significantly reduce the risk of contamination in all the production water supply for a dairy plant and ensure the quality of final milk products by controlling bacteria. It is a viable alternative to traditional heated pasteurization and can be used to produce pasteurised equivalent water with savings up to 90% or more of the cost of investment.
4. Beer
Water will be required in the whole process of beer production. Applying UV water treatment for the production water in the production process will minimize the bacterial contamination and thus ensure the high quality of the final products.
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