ABSTRACT
One of the main process steps in the vegetable industry is water washing. Vegetable washing intends to remove soil, debris, and exudates and to reduce microbial load. This process consumes huge amounts of water. Physical methods for process wash water sanitation, disinfection, or reconditioning in the context of this chapter are those methods that do not introduce chemical substances to the water even though they can produce a chemical change. They include different mechanical separation methods, ultrasonication, and UV light treatment. Mechanical separation methods are used to remove substances, mainly solids. Ultrasonication and UV light treatments are focused on microbial inactivation. While these methods are unlikely to fully replace chemicals in the washing tank, they can be used for water recycling. There have been many studies reporting the use of ultrasound for water treatment either operated alone or in combination with other approaches for intensification.
