IN JUNE 2001, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of ozone as an antimicrobial agent in food, thanks in no small part to Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center studies conducted in the Department of Food Science and Technology.

More than six years worth of OARDC research findings on the sanitizing effects of ozone, a form of oxygen, made up an estimated 30 percent of the petition for FDA approval.

"Our research produced very encouraging results, which spurred more experimentation," said Ahmed Yousef, a microbiologist in the department. "It's exciting to see industry now implementing practices that are the direct result of our work."

Researchers looked for ways to decontaminate food ingredients and fresh produce using ozone, which was found to be safer and more economical than the current method, a chlorine rinse. Chlorine can react with the compounds in food to form toxic compounds, and disposal of the solution has raised health and environmental concerns.

Ozone, which is only one atom away from being oxygen, produces no toxic compounds or residue and decomposes into oxygen after the rinse process. Additionally, it is at least 50 percent more powerful than a chlorine solution in killing harmful bacteria.

Following the FDA's approval, industry interest about the potential of ozone grew significantly, said Yousef. OARDC researchers are now exploring new applications of ozone, including the elimination of harmful bacterial spores. They are also working with the food industry to make ozone use applicable in large-scale food-production facilities.