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Fruit and Vegetables Disinfection at SAMRO, Ltd. Using Hygienic

Packaging by Means of Ozone and UV Radiation
Hanspeter Steffena; Peter Zumsteinb; Rip G. Ricec
a
Lindenstrasse 39, Utzenstorf, CH, Switzerland b SAMRO Ltd., Kirchbergstrasse 130, Burgdorf, CH,
Switzerland c RICE International Consulting Enterprises, Sandy Spring, MD, USA

Online publication date: 16 April 2010

To cite this Article Steffen, Hanspeter , Zumstein, Peter and Rice, Rip G.(2010) 'Fruit and Vegetables Disinfection at
SAMRO, Ltd. Using Hygienic Packaging by Means of Ozone and UV Radiation', Ozone: Science & Engineering, 32: 2, 144
— 149
To link to this Article: DOI: 10.1080/01919510903578546
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01919510903578546

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 Ozone: Science & Engineering, 32: 144–149
Copyright # 2010 International Ozone Association
ISSN: 0191-9512 print / 1547-6545 online
DOI: 10.1080/01919510903578546

Fruit and Vegetables Disinfection at SAMRO, Ltd. Using

Hygienic Packaging by Means of Ozone and UV Radiation
Hanspeter Steffen,1 Peter Zumstein,2 and Rip G. Rice3

1
Lindenstrasse 39, Utzenstorf CH-3427, Switzerland
2
SAMRO Ltd., Kirchbergstrasse 130, CH 3401, Burgdorf, Switzerland
3
RICE International Consulting Enterprises, Sandy Spring, MD 20860, USA

At the SAMRO AG plant in Burgdorf, Switzerland, the BACKGROUND

Ventafresh technology has been adopted for cleaning, dis-
infecting, and storage of potatoes. Ventafresh technologies
include washing raw potatoes with ozone-containing water, SAMRO Ltd. is a Swiss company that develops, pro-
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then treatment with UV radiation in a specially designed
‘‘disinfection tunnel’’. Ozone wash water disinfects the pota-
toes while field detritus is removed. UV radiation continues
the disinfection and simultaneously destroys remaining
ozone. After being processed in the Ventafresh tunnel,
cleansed and disinfected potatoes are stored in a clean
warehouse at high humidity in an atmosphere containing a
lower concentration of ozone. When ready for marketing,
the stored potatoes are washed with ozone/water, dried and
graded, then washed in another bath with ultrasound and
UV radiation, washed again in ozone/water, passed through
a tunnel while being exposed to UV radiation (185 and 254
nm), passed through a bath of electrolyzed water, through
another UV tunnel, packaged in a nitrogen þ CO2 atmosphere,
and distributed. The process is applicable to all root vege-
tables, plus root celery and asparagus, and also to certain
fruits (apples, pears, kiwis, tomatoes, and Sharon fruits).
Keywords Ozone, Potatoes, Carrots, Beets, Root Celery,
Apples, Pears, Kiwi, Grapes, Sharon Fruits, Toma-
toes, Onions, Asparagus, Ventafresh Technology,
Electrolyzed Water, Ultraviolet Radiation, Ultra-
sound, Ethylene Removal
duces and markets high-quality machines and systems for
the treatment of agricultural products, principally root
vegetables (potatoes, onions, beets, carrots), but also
fruits (apples, pears, kiwis, grapes, tomatoes and Sharon
fruits), as well as asparagus.
As is the case in any food handling facility, close attention
must be paid to cleanliness and hygienic sanitation, so as to
reduce microbiological counts to low levels and to extend the
shelf-lives of the final packaged products. The SAMRO plant
in Burgdorf, Switzerland has adopted a combination of mod-
ern technologies using the Ventafresh technologies (under
license). These technologies involve the application of gaseous
ozone treatments before and during storing of produce, sup-
ported by UV-C radiation (UV-254 nm), and also multiple
applications of aqueous ozone, e.g., ozone-water-washing,
ultrasound/electrolyzed-water-washing, and UV radiation
(with ozone generation), then MAP (modified atmosphere
packaging) technology. The combinations of technologies
that comprise the Ventafresh technologies improve sanitation
within the plant, disinfect food prior to, during, and after
packaging, and thereby extend the shelf-lives of products
leaving the plant for distribution. Application of Ventafresh
technologies at the SAMRO plant will be illustrated by the
following detailed description of potato processing.

Potato Processing at SAMRO

Received 9/09/2009; Accepted 11/16/2009
This paper is a User Success Report (USR) presented at the
IOA Conference in Valencia, Spain, October 2007.
Address correspondence to Rip G. Rice, RICE International
Consulting Enterprises, 1710 Hickory Knoll Road, Sandy Spring,
MD 20860, USA. E-mail: RGRice4ozone@aol.com
Conventional storage of potatoes is fraught with problems
caused by microbial infections (Erwinia, Phytophtera) and
weight loss. In tiny Switzerland alone (7.8 million inhabitants),
some 400,000 tonnes of potatoes are processed annually, and
about 5.5% are lost during conventional storage. This is

144 H. Steffen, P. Zumstein, and R.G. Rice March–April 2010

 FIGURE 1. Schematic flow diagram of potatoes being processed at SAMRO plant.

equivalent to 22,000 tonnes of potatoes, equating to about 10 modified packaging gas environment (nitrogen and car-
million Swiss francs (Sfr) worth of potatoes lost each year. bon dioxide), and sent to distribution.
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The Ventafresh Disinfection System has been devel- Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the various
oped and applied to improve potato storage conditions steps potatoes undergo at the SAMRO plant. The same
so as to reduce this wasteful loss. The initial procedure treatment can be applied to other root vegetables, such as
consists of three discrete steps: onions, carrots, beets and root celery. With slight mod-
ifications in the engineering details of the processing
1. Cleaning of the potatoes by washing in a specially equipment, the treatment concepts can be applied to
constructed processing tunnel (the Ventafresh Dis- other vegetables and various types of fruit.
infection Tunnel), followed by
2. Treatment with ozone gas in the same tunnel, fol-
lowed by POTATO PROCESSING DETAILS
3. Treatment with UV-C radiation (UV at 254 nm),
which provides additional disinfection as well as Potatoes received in the plant (Figure 2) are passed
converting excess gas-phase ozone into oxygen. through a brushing/cleaning machine to remove field dirt
and debris. This initial cleaning step is conducted without
After cleaning, disinfection and decontamination in water. Potatoes then are loaded into a receiving bin, from
the tunnel, the cleaned potatoes are stored in a large
‘‘potato warehouse’’ under a controlled atmosphere that
also contains low levels of gaseous ozone. When potatoes
are removed for storage for packaging and shipment to
supermarkets and like distribution outlets, they are
washed (in ozone-containing water), dried, graded (auto-
matically using a sophisticated computer program),
washed in ozone/water with ultrasonics (to loosen
remaining dirt particles and microorganisms), exposed
to UV-254 light, then washed in another ozone-contain-
ing bath, placed on a conveyer belt passing through
another tunnel containing UV lights (mostly UV-254
bulbs, but every third bulb is a 185 nm, ozone-generating
lamp), then washed in a bath of electrolyzed water con-
taining initially 0.3% NaCl (3 g/L) – thus, the electro-
lyzed water bath contains some hypochlorous acid and
FIGURE 2. Potato feed bin.
hypochlorite ions – air-dried, packaged aseptically in a

Fruit and Vegetable Disinfection at SAMRO March–April 2010 145


FIGURE 3. The Ventafresh disinfection tunnel.
which they are removed to be processed through the
Ventafresh Disinfection tunnel (Figure 3).
THE VENTAFRESH DISINFECTION TUNNEL
This tunnel is 12/2/1.2 meters (about 37/6.5/4 feet) in
dimensions. As potatoes (or other root-type vegetables)
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enter one end of the tunnel, they pass over a series of
rotating brushes (Figure 4), to remove any dirt and other
field residues, still without using water for washing. That
comes later in the processing.
In the next section of the tunnel, the potatoes are led
through a gaseous ozone-containing atmosphere contain-
ing 600–900 ppm of ozone (generated by corona dis-
charge) and nearly 100% relative humidity. Under these
conditions, an initial disinfection of the potatoes takes
place. Ozone for this step is generated by corona dis-
charge. In the final section of the tunnel, the potatoes
are exposed to ultraviolet light (UV-C ¼ UV-254 nm;
23,000 microWatts/cm2/sec). The exposure time to UV
radiation in the Ventafresh Disinfection Tunnel normally
FIGURE 4. Rotating dry bushes.
146 H. Steffen, P. Zumstein, and R.G. Rice
is 1 minute, but can be extended to 2 minutes if the
potatoes are particularly dirty. UV radiation not only
provides an additional and continuing disinfection, but
also destroys any excess ozone present. Hydroxyl free
radicals formed during UV radiation and destruction of
ozone help in the disinfection and oxidation processes
that occur during passage through the Ventafresh
Disinfection tunnel.
POTATO STORAGE
After being cleansed in the Ventafresh tunnel, the
potatoes are placed in 500 kg tote boxes and these are
stored in a large warehouse (Figure 5) (maintained at a
constant temperature just above 8–10  C (46–50  F) for
up 3 to 9 months in a rigorously controlled atmosphere
containing 2–6 ppm of ozone (generated by corona dis-
charge and controlled by Fuzzy Logic software for ozone,
temperature, humidity, etc. – see http://www.seattlerobo-
tics.org/encoder/mar98/fuz/flindex.html).
Relative humidity is controlled at a minimum of 98%.
These storage conditions of temperature (8  C; 46  F) and
relative humidity result in weight losses over 8–9 months
of storage time of only 3–4% (maximum 5%), compared
with 10–15% weight losses if stored below 8  C. Normal
storage losses are only 4% (maximum), compared with
4–12% by conventional storage techniques.
The large upright pipes in the background are the air
distribution and circulation pipes. Storage air is sucked
from under the boxes into floor ducts, ozone is added as
necessary to maintain a concentration of 2–6 ppm of
ozone, and is reinjected above the potatoes (ozone is
slightly heavier than air). This provides a constant recir-
culation of ozone-containing air constantly being drawn
through the stored potatoes. If any sprouting is noted, the
concentrations of ozone can be quickly slug-boosted to
25–30 ppm and these levels held for 2–3 hours at a time.
FIGURE 5. Potato storage after Ventafresh cleaning.
March–April 2010
 POST-STORAGE POTATO PROCESSING AND
TREATMENT

When stored potatoes are ready for packaging and dis-

tribution, they still are subjected to several additional
washing and disinfection processing steps. Each of these
post-storage treatment steps is designed to reduce the
microorganism counts on the potato surfaces by a minimum
of 1-logarithm per disinfecting step. Since four additional
disinfection washings are provided, the total log-reductions
of surface microorganisms are a minimum of 4-logs.

Ozone Water Washing Bath – #1

When removed from storage, potatoes are washed for
FIGURE 6. The UV exposure tunnel.
several minutes in a drum water washer containing up to
8 mg/L (ppm) of ozone in the water. Since there is still
some dirt on the potatoes, and many microorganisms,
this water becomes contaminated. At that point the
wash water is treated and recycled. UV tunnel. Potatoes next move through another tun-
nel where they are exposed continuously to UV-254
radiation exposure (23,000 microWatts/cm2/sec) over sev-
Wash water treatment and recycling. Wash water is eral minutes. This treatment maintains the high micro-
withdrawn continuously from the ozone washing tank biological quality of the stringently processed potatoes.
(#1) and treated by sedimentation, followed by ozone
disinfection (up to 8 mg/L of dissolved ozone generated Electrolyzed Water Washing
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by corona discharge and held for 5 minutes or more (to Electrolyzed water is produced by means of an Adamant
provide a minimum Ct value of 40 mg/L-min). Technologies (Neûchatel, Switzerland) unit fitted with two
Drying and grading. After initial ozone/water wash- diamond-coated electrodes (www.adamant-technologies.-
ing, the potatoes are dried by means of an air knife com). See Figure 7. Electrolysis conditions are 30 A and
(similar to the kind used in automobile laundries), then ca. 25 V Direct Current with an electrode shift of ca 20
graded using a special sophisticated potato-grading soft- minutes in an automatic cycle. To the water to be electro-
ware developed by SAMRO. This involves photograph- lyzed, 1–3 g of sodium chloride (per liter) is added to the
ing potatoes 30 times within a very short period of time, demineralized water automatically; demineralizing the
then automatic, computerized rejection of below-stan- water prevents calcium-caking at the electrodes.
dard potatoes on the basis of poor shapes, surface The concentrations of free radicals in aqueous solution
damages and off-colors. Potatoes passing this grading can be adapted as the plant desires from 1 to 140 mg/L (the
procedure move to the next step. SAMRO plant uses 50–100 ppm of free radical strength for
UV and ultrasonics bath. In this step, the graded washing potatoes). Higher levels require an increase in salt
potatoes are sent to a water bath where they are subjected concentrations. Approximately half of the amount indicated
to ultrasound. This dislodges tiny dirt particles that may analytically as mg/L are free oxidative radicals. Free radicals
still remain in the potato eyes, as well as dislodging
microorganisms that may still be adhering to the potato
surfaces. Ultrasound also provides excellent biocidal
effects by destroying cell membranes by cavitation.
On their way from this bath to the next ozone/water
washing bath (#2), the potatoes are passed under UV-C
radiation (254 nm; 23,000 micro-Watts/cm2/sec ) as they
move through a tunnel on a conveyor belt (Figure 6).
During this exposure, the potatoes are turned constantly
by the turning rollers on the conveyor belt, thus guaran-
teeing several minutes of exposure to the UV radiation.

Ozone Water Washing Bath – #2

Next, the potatoes are again washed in water contain- FIGURE 7. Equipment for electrolyzing water. Right: electrolysis
ing ozone (up to 8 mg/L, generated by corona discharge – unit. Left: electrolysis tank and storage.
as in Ozone Water Washing Bath #1).

Fruit and Vegetable Disinfection at SAMRO March–April 2010 147

 in solution are measured by the DPD method, by UV-Light
absorption, and also by the Indigo Trisulfonate method with
color batch comparisons.
Freshly prepared electrolyzed water can be stored for
quite some time. During storage, the solutions lose about
0.1 mg/L/h, or 2.4 mg/L/day of free radical strength. It is
recommended not to store electrolyzed water, but always
to brew it fresh. Electrolyzed water containing 50 mg/L of
oxidative free radicals can be prepared readily without
any harmful effects of off-gassing, with the same long
stability as lower concentrations.
Because electrolyzed water is generated using sodium
chloride, the solution also contains reasonable concentra-
tions of hypochlorous acid and hypochlorite anions. These
chlorine-containing disinfectants tend to coat the potatoes,
providing even more microbiological protection.
UV Tunnel
Potatoes next move through a second tunnel where
they are again exposed continuously to UV-254 radiation
exposure (23,000 microWatts/cm2/sec) over several min-
utes. This treatment maintains the high microbiological
quality of the stringently processed potatoes.
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DRYING AND MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE
PACKAGING
Potatoes washed in electrolyzed water (with ultra-
sound) are passed through a UV tunnel where they are
exposed to UV-254 and to ozone (generated by UV-185
radiation). Every third or fourth UV bulb is an ozone-
generating bulb, and during this time, the potatoes are
dried.
The dried potatoes then are packaged in 1, 2, 2.5, and
5 kilogram sizes. The bags are flushed with nitrogen, and
toward the end of this flushing, some CO2 is added. The
bags are sealed, and are ready for distribution.
From the time the potatoes leave the electrolyzed
water washing bath, they are handled aseptically. No
longer do they see daylight, nor are they exposed to
ambient air. When the consumer opens the bag, all of
the potatoes contained are clean and there are no sprouts.
Ventafresh processing of potatoes not only maintains
bacteriological cleanliness, but also prevents sprouting.
TABLE 1. Comparison of Potato Storage Parameters – Ventafresh, Cold and Natural Storage
Parameter Ventafresh
Relative Humidity , 98%
Storage Temperature 8–10  C
Microorganism Controls Needed none
Shrinkage Losses max. 5%
Storage Damage Losses max. 4%
Microbial Spoilage very little
148 H. Steffen, P. Zumstein, and R.G. Rice
EXTENSION TO OTHER PRODUCE
The principles of Ventafresh processing have been
extended easily from potatoes to other root vegetables,
such as onions, carrots, beets, and root celery, vegetables
that can be dry-brushed and treated in the same manner as
potatoes. For applying Ventafresh techniques to vegetables
that are softer than the root vegetables, or to fruit, some
adaptations in the processing techniques are necessary so as
to prevent damage to these more sensitive foods. Apples, for
example, are stored under controlled atmospheres that are
different from those for potatoes, because of the necessity to
destroy ethylene gas (eliminated by ripening apples – and
other fruit). Ethylene gas is removed by periodic controlled
injections of ozone. Ventafresh technologies applied to the
processing of non-root vegetables and fruits have been
found to extend the shelf-lives from 10 days (conventional
treatment) to 21 days, and sometimes longer.
COST COMPARISONS FOR POTATO PROCESSING
Costs for processing and storing potatoes by the
Ventafresh technology are compared below with costs
for cold storage and natural storage. Pertinent para-
meters are presented in Table 1.
Table 2 compares costs for the three procedures.
Calculations for the Ventafresh technology are based on
renting two Ventafresh Disinfection Tunnels, each able to
process 15 tonnes/h of potatoes. For 6,000 tonnes of
potatoes to be stored, the cost is Sfr 0.50 per kg. Data
in Table 2 show that already in the first year, Ventafresh
technology saves Sfr 308,000 over cold storage, and Sfr
158,000 over natural storage.
Figure 8 shows a comparison of costs for potato storage
between the Ventafresh technology, cold storage and nat-
ural storage over 10 years. Also shown are the cost savings
provided by Ventafresh over the same 10-year period. Costs
for Ventafresh are always lower than costs for cold storage
and for natural storage, and after 10 years, Ventafresh is
projected to save more than Sfr 2 million.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Ventafresh technological approaches to food handling
and processing for distribution to wholesale and retail stores
Cold storage Natural storage
, 94% , 85–94%
6–8  C 8–10  C
chemical chemical
4–5% 4–12%
6% 10–12%
little High
March–April 2010
 TABLE 2. Cost Benefits of Processing/Storage of Potatoes by Ventafresh Technology

Cost item Ventafresh Cold storage Natural storage

Rental of Ventafresh Equipment Sfr. 172,000 — —
Storage Cost per Tonne Sfr. 50 Sfr. 100 Sfr. 50
Disinfection Cost per Tonne Sfr. 5 Sfr. 10 Sfr. 10
Shrinkage Losses 4% 5% 8
Shrinkage Costs per Tonne Sfr. 20 Sfr. 25 Sfr. 40
Storage Damage Losses 4% 8% 10%
Storage Damage Loss Costs/tonne Sfr. 20 Sfr. 40 Sfr. 50
TOTAL: Sfr. 742,000 Sfr. 1,050,000 Sfr. 900,000
SAVINGS: — Sfr. 308,000 Sfr. 158,000

Storage costs and savings

12,000,000
Cold Storage
10,000,000
Natural
8,000,000
Ventafresh
SFr

6,000,000
Savings
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4,000,000

2,000,000

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Year

FIGURE 8. Cost comparisons, Ventafresh vs. conventional techniques.

provides state-of-the art approaches for maintaining
hygiene and above all, controlling microorganisms on the
foods before, during and after storage, and into packaging.
These techniques include the use of gaseous ozone (gener-
ated by both corona discharge and by UV-185 nm radia-
tion), aqueous ozone (generated by corona discharge), UV-
C radiation (254 nm), ultrasonics, electrolyzed water, and
modified atmosphere packaging (under nitrogen and CO2).
The processing of potatoes has reached the full com-
mercial scale at the SAMRO plant, and processing con-
ditions for other vegetables and fruits are being developed
as of this writing. Machines for this new food processing
technology are engineered and manufactured by SAMRO
and SwissFood Tech Gmbh, both of Switzerland. A lead-
ing Swiss vegetable and fruit transportation and proces-
sing firm, Steffen-Ris AG, is testing Ventafresh
technologies as well, and were planning to install the
commercial system later in 2007. This commercial-scale
demonstration study was supported by both the Swiss
Federal Research Station and Steffen-Ris AG. The pri-
mary emphasis of this study was on the shelf-life of the
Ventafresh-processed potatoes.

Fruit and Vegetable Disinfection at SAMRO March–April 2010 149