H3O & Food Stability
 The pictures to the right
(which you can click to enlarge) were part of a test conducted
by a company associated with
Alpha Omega Labs. The study itself was very simple and is
inconclusive. However, taken together with user input from
1996 to 2001 on a wide variety of applications where the
highly anti-microbial effects of stabilized H3O have been
observed, potential uses for food stability applications
look very promising.
The purpose of the test
was to observe what degree of inhibition to biological
degradation could be confirmed in non-refrigerated tomatoes
over a nineteen-day period. Normally, left untreated and unrefrigerated,
tomatoes, after harvest, will reach a state of complete
spoilage if left out at room temperature in two to three weeks.
Tomatoes used for the test
were selected at random from the produce aisle of a local
supermarket. The plate containing the non-treated tomatoes
was labeled "Control 3-A" while the tomatoes treated with
H3O were labelled "3-B, 1.5 pH".
The treatment solution
used for preserving the tomatoes on Plate 3-B consisted of
tap water with the addition of a small amount of
concentrated H3O sufficient to reduce the pH of the
water to 1.5 pH.
The treated tomatoes were
immersed in the solution for approximately 45 seconds and
placed on the paper plate and allowed to air dry. Both
plates, 3-A and 3-B, were then placed on a table in an
open-air environment (large mechanical fabrication shop
building) during the month of April, 2000. This environment
was subject to normal indoor fluctuations of day and
night ambient air temperatures of between 60 and 85 degrees F.
As depicted in the pictures,
mold growth was evident on the control sample after 72 hours.
Additional pictures recorded the samples on the 4th,
7th, 11th, and 19th day of the test. The progression
of pictures vividly displays the growth of mold on the
control sample while the treated sample remains stable and
void of signs of bacterial degradation.
On the 19th day the test
was concluded. The control sample displayed signs of
extensive mold growth and bacterial decay and malodor to
the point it could be termed "rotten." The treated
sample remained fresh looking, good strong color, firm
to the touch and void of unpleasant odor. Upon slicing the
fruit in half it was quite evident that the treated samples
on plate 3-B were void of any interior or exterior decay
while the untreated samples from plate 3-A showed gross
signs of decay throughout the fruit.
Conclusion: Based
upon this simple test, it is apparent the utilization of
H3O concentrate at a 1.5 pH level will provide food preservation
qualities sufficient to extend the shelf life of non-refrigerated
tomatoes. The freshness of the inside of the tomatoes was
surprising, since solution would have made contact with only
the external skin of the fruit and it is doubtful that any
significant amount made its way to the interior of the fruit.
More studies should be conducted to ensure these
results are repeated, with uniform consistency, using other
tomatoes and a variety of other fruit, to provide a broader
range of microbial, degradation challenges to the product.
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