Cleaning milking systems using electrolyzed oxidizing water

Electrolyzed oxidizing (EO) water is a novel cleaning and disinfecting agent, produced by separating a weak sodium chloride solution into alkaline and acidic components. A pilot-scale pipeline milking system was soiled using raw milk inoculated with common microorganisms. The milking system was then washed with alkaline EO water followed by acidic EO water. After cleaning, the effectiveness of the EO water treatment was evaluated by ATP bioluminescence and microbiological analysis. A 10 min wash with 60°C alkaline EO water followed by a 10 min wash with 60° C acid EO water successfully removed all detectable bacteria and ATP from the non-porous milk contact surfaces. Shorter treatment times (5 and 7.5 min) with EO water were also evaluated, along with a control treatment using conventional dairy cleaning chemicals. There were no significant differences between the 10 min and 7.5 min EO water treatments and the conventional treatment. In a longer-term soiling-washing simulation, only the 7.5 min EO water treatment was evaluated after ten soiling and cleaning cycles, and it was compared with a conventional cleaning treatment. The 7.5 min EO water treatment did not acceptably clean the milking system, but longer treatment times were not attempted. Overall, results indicate that EO water has the potential to be used as a cleaning and sanitizing agent for CIP cleaning ofon-farm milking systems.