Beyond Traditional Sanitizer Chemistry

Food processors have relied on chemical sanitizers for decades to control microorganisms in process water and food production environments. These chemistries can be effective, but they also bring operational considerations including chemical purchasing, transportation, storage, handling, dosing and ongoing concentration management.

Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) offers a different approach.

HOCl is an antimicrobial form of free chlorine. When generated electrolytically on site, it can provide food processors with an effective antimicrobial without relying on the same model of receiving and managing conventional bulk sanitizer chemistry.

But the bigger opportunity is not simply replacing one chemical with another.

Modern electrochemical treatment systems can integrate microbial treatment, continuous disinfection, cleaning support, monitoring and process control into the management of process water.

For food processors, that changes the conversation from:

“Which sanitizer should we use?”

to:

“How can we better control the entire process?”

What Is Hypochlorous Acid?

Hypochlorous acid, or HOCl, is one of the primary antimicrobial species produced when chlorine is present in water.

The relative amount of HOCl compared with the hypochlorite ion (OCl⁻) depends heavily on pH. At mildly acidic to near-neutral pH, a greater proportion of the available chlorine exists as HOCl.

This distinction matters because HOCl is generally the more microbiologically active species.

FDA documentation for BIOIONIX Food Contact Notification No. 2198 describes BIOIONIX HOCl as being generated electrolytically on site from sodium chloride brine at pH 6–7, ensuring that hypochlorous acid is the dominant species.

Rather than transporting a finished sanitizer to the processing facility, the antimicrobial solution is generated where it is needed.

HOCl vs. Sodium Hypochlorite: What’s the Difference?

HOCl and sodium hypochlorite are related chlorine chemistries, but they are not chemically identical.

Commercial bleach is primarily sodium hypochlorite and is typically maintained at a high pH for stability. Under alkaline conditions, a larger proportion of free chlorine exists as the hypochlorite ion.

As pH decreases toward neutral, the equilibrium shifts toward HOCl.

FDA environmental assessments for electrolytically generated HOCl systems describe this relationship. For example, one FDA assessment notes that at approximately pH 6, the solution is about 94% HOCl and 6% OCl⁻.

That is one reason pH control is an important part of HOCl generation and antimicrobial performance.

Why Does HOCl Work?

HOCl is a strong oxidizing antimicrobial.

It can interact with important cellular components of microorganisms, including membranes, proteins and enzymes, interfering with cellular function and ultimately causing microbial inactivation.

Because HOCl is uncharged, it can interact with microorganisms differently from the negatively charged hypochlorite ion.

However, antimicrobial performance is never determined by chemistry alone.

Actual performance depends on factors including:

• HOCl/free available chlorine concentration
• pH
• contact time
• temperature
• organic load
• target microorganism
• water characteristics
• equipment design and application

That is why process control and validated performance are as important as the sanitizer itself.

Why On-Site Generation Matters

Traditional sanitation programs generally require sanitizer to be manufactured elsewhere, packaged, transported to the food plant, stored and eventually introduced into the process.

Electrochemical generation changes that supply model.

BIOIONIX generates HOCl on site at the location where it is used. FDA’s Environmental Assessment for FCN 2198 specifically describes the food-contact substance as hypochlorous acid generated through electrochemical activation of sodium chloride brine.

For processors, on-site generation can help reduce reliance on delivered sanitizer chemistry and the associated transportation, storage and handling requirements.

But generating HOCl is only one part of the BIOIONIX approach.

Beyond HOCl: A Continuously Controlled Process-Water System

A common misconception about electrochemical treatment is that the technology is simply an alternative method for producing sanitizer.

BIOIONIX is designed around a broader process.

The BIOSAIF24/7 system combines three treatment tiers with continuous monitoring and automation:

1. KILL — In-Chamber Microbial Treatment

Process water passes through an electrochemical treatment chamber where microorganisms are exposed to treatment conditions designed for microbial reduction.

This provides a defined treatment point within the circulating water system.

2. DISINFECT — Continuous HOCl Protection

BIOIONIX generates controlled HOCl that circulates with the process water.

Instead of limiting antimicrobial activity to a single treatment point, HOCl provides continued antimicrobial activity within the circulating water system.

This is an important distinction for recirculating process-water applications.

Water does not remain static after treatment. It moves through piping, tanks, chillers, flumes, brines and other processing equipment where it can encounter additional organic material and microorganisms.

Maintaining controlled antimicrobial conditions throughout that process can provide another layer of protection.

3. CLEAN — Nanobubble-Enhanced Cleaning

BIOIONIX also incorporates nanobubbles to support cleaning within the water system.

Nanobubbles can enhance interaction between water and surfaces and support soil removal and disruption of microbial attachment.

This addresses an important reality of process-water management:

Microbial control is not only about what is suspended in the water. It is also about what can accumulate on surfaces.

4. CONTROL — 24/7 Monitoring and Automation

The three treatment tiers are surrounded by monitoring and automation.

BIOIONIX continuously monitors operating conditions and controls treatment to help maintain defined parameters throughout production.

That provides something conventional sanitizer addition alone cannot necessarily provide:

continuous information about the treatment process itself.

Why Continuous Control Matters in Food Processing

Process water conditions can change dramatically during production.

As products move through a process, water can accumulate:

• organic material
• fats and oils
• proteins
• carbohydrates
• suspended solids
• microorganisms

Temperature and pH can also change.

A sanitizer concentration that was appropriate at startup may therefore encounter very different conditions hours later.

Continuous treatment and monitoring allow a process-water system to respond to changing conditions rather than treating water as though its characteristics remain constant throughout a production run.

That can be especially valuable in recirculating systems.

The Connection Between HOCl and Water Reuse

Water conservation has become an increasingly important operational issue for food and beverage manufacturers.

But simply using less water is not enough.

Processors must still maintain appropriate microbial control and product safety.

This is where continuous process-water treatment can create additional operational value.

Instead of automatically replacing process water because microbial or organic loading has increased, processors may be able to maintain acceptable water conditions longer when the application and validated process allow it.

That can potentially mean:

Less water use → Less wastewater → Fewer water changes → More production time

The objective isn’t simply to conserve water.

It is to control water well enough that it can potentially remain useful longer within an appropriately designed and validated process.

FDA Food-Contact Authorization for BIOIONIX HOCl

BIOIONIX holds FDA Food Contact Notification No. 2198 for hypochlorous acid generated by its system.

The notification covers specified uses as an antimicrobial agent in aqueous solutions used in the production and preparation of:

• meat and poultry
• processed and preformed meat and poultry
• fish and seafood
• fruits and vegetables
• plant-based proteins used as meat substitutes
• shell eggs
• cheese

FDA specifies that the BIOIONIX food-contact substance is manufactured by a device on site. Free available chlorine at the point of use may not exceed 60 ppm for covered processes, with a maximum of 6 ppm for cheese salt brining. Specific limitations and conditions in the notification apply.

Importantly, FDA Food Contact Notifications are manufacturer-specific. FCN 2198 applies to BIOIONIX and its customers, rather than serving as a general authorization for every HOCl system.

HOCl Is Only Part of the Equation

Comparing HOCl with bleach or another sanitizer is useful for understanding chemistry.

But food processors evaluating process-water technology should ask a broader set of questions:

How is the antimicrobial generated?

Where does microbial treatment occur?

Does antimicrobial protection continue after the initial treatment point?

What happens as organic load increases?

Can the technology help address microbial attachment and surface cleanliness?

Are operating conditions monitored continuously?

Can treatment conditions be automatically controlled?

Can improved water control support longer water use or reuse?

Those questions move the evaluation beyond sanitizer chemistry and toward overall process performance.

From Sanitizer Chemistry to Process Control

HOCl offers food processors an effective antimicrobial chemistry, and on-site electrochemical generation can reduce dependence on conventional delivered sanitizer chemistry.

But that is not where the opportunity ends.

BIOIONIX integrates on-site HOCl generation into a broader process-water treatment strategy designed around:

KILL → DISINFECT → CLEAN

with 24/7 CONTROL surrounding the process.

The result is not simply another way to make sanitizer.

It is a different approach to managing process water — one designed to support microbial control, cleaner systems, water reuse, greater uptime and more consistent process control.

Cleaner water. Zero single-use chemicals. Greater uptime. Better process control.

Sources & Further Reading

U.S. Food & Drug Administration — Food Contact Notification No. 2198, BIOIONIX, Inc.
FDA’s current inventory lists BIOIONIX FCN 2198 as effective and describes the authorized applications and concentration limits.

U.S. Food & Drug Administration — Environmental Assessment for FCN No. 2198
Describes BIOIONIX’s on-site electrochemical generation of HOCl from sodium chloride brine and the pH 6–7 generation range.

U.S. Food & Drug Administration — Environmental Decision for FCN No. 2198
FDA issued a Finding of No Significant Impact in connection with the environmental review of FCN 2198.