A review of oxidizing and nonoxidizing biocides as alternatives to chlorine for biological control in pasteurizer systems.

Smith, A.L. and Zaccarino, P.J.

Abstract
Although chlorine, especially in its pure gaseous form, has traditionally been the preferred biocide for disinfecting water, including that used in pasteurisation systems (because the cooler parts of the equipment might otherwise become fouled with "microbiological slime"), the corrosiveness and indiscriminate toxicity of chlorine based disinfectants has caused concern. In the USA, recent legislation has imposed much stricter safety standards, particularly for chlorine gas, compliance with which entails substantial administrative expenses as well as the costs of the actual safety measures themselves, so that the use of chlorine is no longer economically acceptable if a cheaper alternative can be found. Alternative products, including bromine, glutaraldehyde, chlorine dioxide and ozone, and the presterilisation of the water by ultraviolet irradiation in order to avoid the use of disinfectants altogether, are described and their advantages and disadvantages discussed.
Keywords : disinfectant disinfection pasteuriser survey water