ABSTRACT
218Ozone, being a highly reactive form of oxygen, decomposes quickly to form diatomic oxygen and acts as a potential oxidant cum disinfectant through the reaction with targeted organic matter and microorganisms. The potential application of ozone in agriculture and food processing has amplified in the present days with the attainment of GRAS (generally regarded as safe) status from the FDA in 2001. Ozone has a long history as a water disinfectant in many parts of the world. Recently, the usage of ozone in the food industry has been investigated for shelf life extension, food preservation, equipment sterilization, and improvement of food industry effluents. Ozone has been evaluated for postharvest disease control and other storage uses with commercial application in apples, cherries, carrots, onions, and potatoes. Other potential applications of ozone include decontamination of food contact surfaces, degradation of ethylene, odor elimination in mixed storage, spore elimination in storage rooms, reduction of pesticide levels over the fresh produce, etc. In addition, ozone treatment has also been reported to induce natural plant defense response compounds involved in postharvest disease resistance. Since ozone kills microorganisms instantly and effectively without leaving any harmful residues in the treated food/water, it has an eco-friendly advantage over other analogous chemicals used for the same purpose. In addition, research needs to be focused on the effective use of ozone for the postharvest treatment of whole or minimally processed fruits and vegetables.
