OZONE APPLICATIONS FOR COMMERCIAL CATFISH PROCESSING

lntroductlon Current methods of operation in Fish/Seafood/Poultry processing plants include the application of large quantities of chlorine in an aqueous solution, contacting the product directly by spray or submersion, in an effort to control bacterial growth in and on the meat during processing, and subsequently in the fresh meat marketplace; such bacterial content limiting the shelf life of the product (thus limiting shipping radius, storage in transit, export, etc.). The use of chlorine over the long history of this industry, has proven to be ineffective In controlling bacterial growth, resulting in poor shelf life, and inadvertently imposing a potentially harmful chemical on the consuming public. As an example of the dangers of the use of chlorine, the United States Environ-mental Protection Agency (USEPA) has in the last two years formally taken a position against the use of chlorine in the public potable water supply due to fact that Trihalo-methanes (THM’s) are formed when the organics in these water supplies are joined with the chlorine injection commonly utilized in the United States for bacterial control. THM complexes have been proven to be of significant carcinogenic nature to humans; thes