What is Peracetic Acid?
by Chris Kemp peracetic acid monitorPeracetic acid is an organic chemical compound that is widely used in the food industry. Being able to detect trace levels of peracetic acid residue that is leftover in water is an essential step to be taken in order to ensure the safety of drinking water, which is why investing in a peracetic acid monitor, is such a vital step for any food industry business using the chemical in their operations to take.
What is Peracetic Acid?
Peracetic acid is an organic chemical with the chemical equation, CH3CO3H. It is a highly corrosive and dangerous substance that is formed during the equilibrium reaction between acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide; this means that the reaction can be carried out and reversed rapidly.
How is Peracetic Acid Used in Industry?
Peracetic acid is used by the food
industry primarily as a disinfectant chemical, due to its powerful
antimicrobial properties. It is also used widely for other aspects of the food
and consumables production industries, such as in breweries and wineries, as
well as in the production of cheese and other related dairy products. The use
of this chemical in these industries is controlled and monitored by the United
States Environmental Protection Agency.
Peracetic acid is widely used in the
food industry due to its immense strength; however, it is vital that the
chemical is not left as a residue in water. Due to its nature as being part of
an equilibrium reaction that can be reversed easily in water, where the
chemical breaks down into acetic acid and oxygen and water, it is vital that
this rule is adhered to strictly by food processing plants—and peracetic acid
monitors as a great way of doing so.
The chemical itself is one of the most
easily used and applied in the entire food industry, and this (coupled with its
impressive efficacy as an antimicrobial chemical) mean that it is used
increasingly in food production businesses. However, this increasing use also
increases the risks associated with the chemical getting into the drinking
water.
Luckily, peracetic acid breaks down rapidly when exposed to water, at which point the resulting byproducts are not considered to be harmful. However, not all peracetic acid will necessarily break down at any one time, and in these events, it is important for businesses to be able to monitor whether or not there are traces of the chemical remaining as residues or not.
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Created on Nov 2nd 2019 23:26. Viewed 329 times.