ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre researches the use of ozone in eliminating listeria in food sources

Cardiff Metropolitan University’s ZERO2FIVE is a centre providing technical, operational and commercial support to food businesses across the UK.   As well as employing food and drink technologists, ZERO2FIVE also works with senior lecturers and professors from the university. Microbiology lecturer, Dr James Blaxland is part of this initiative and has built an ozone testing chamber to research the use of ozone to eliminate listeria in food sources.  To do this, he has recently purchased a 2BTech 106 ozone monitor from UK company Air Monitors.

Dr Blaxland’s role at the ZERO2FIVE food industry centre focuses on the decontamination of the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes from both food and food preparation areas. Listeria is the causative agent of listeriosis, a rare, but potentially life-threatening condition which typically affects certain groups of people, which includes; those who are immunosuppressed, pregnant or elderly.

Listeria is a huge problem in the food and drink industry and with the help of the 2BTech’s 106 ozone monitor, James and his team have been looking at how effective ozone is on different surfaces.

They also have a sensory analysis suite where they can see if ozone has an effect on taste, colour and smell of certain foods. Can the public tell the difference? That is a key question for the food manufacturers to ensure that the public don’t notice any discernible difference.

James says, “The 2BTech Ozone monitor has been producing great results since we started the research a few months ago and so far, growth of different strains of listeria have been found on different surfaces and the aim is to minimise, if not remove this going forward. As well as listeria being present on food sources, it can also contaminate medical devices and hopefully ozone can be used for the removal of these bugs.”

Caroline Bennett, Air Monitor’s Technical Sales Executive added, “we have enjoyed seeing how the Cardiff Metropolitan University’s ZERO2FIVE centre has used the 2BTech Ozone monitor and have been really happy to have helped this project along.”

The University are looking to set standards with this ongoing testing and will be working alongside ‘Ozone Industries Limited’ who are a major provider of ozone generator applications for the control of odours and micro-organisms in both air and water for a wide range of commercial, industrial, and domestic markets.

About 2BTech

2BTech, based in Colorado produces a wide range of instruments for the air monitoring industry including ozone disinfection which combats viruses and therefore protects human health.

About Air Monitors Ltd

As part of the Acoem group, Air Monitors represent many of the world’s leading environmental technology manufacturers. Our aim is to provide monitoring solutions which encompass the very best products, technology and services designed specifically for British & European Environmental compliance.

About Cardiff Metropolitan University

Cardiff Met has a strong purpose – to deliver high quality and high impact practice-focused and professionally recognised education, research and innovation in partnership with our students and industry. Comprised of 5 schools, as well as the ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, Cardiff Met has over 20,000 students from 143 countries. The University is the first in Wales to be awarded both the prestigious Small Business Charter and the Social Enterprise mark in recognition of its work with business, and its commitment to supporting students in enterprise and entrepreneurship activities.

About ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre

The ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre at Cardiff Metropolitan University brings together a unique collaboration between industry-experienced technical, commercial and operations managers and respected academics.

With the support of the Welsh Government, ZERO2FIVE is able to work with c150 Welsh food and drink companies every year. ZERO2FIVE engages with companies and organisations of all sizes and stages of growth to provide support with factory design, start-up advice, new product development, third party accreditation and global food standards compliance (including BRCGS and SALSA), food safety and security, food and labelling legislation, nutrition, market analysis and marketing. In addition, ZERO2FIVE provides strategic technical direction for inward investment and export initiatives.

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