NEWS

Yen-Con Hung

Creative Research Medal 2002

Yen-Con Hung, Professor of Food Science and Technology, has developed an alternative to chemical and heat treatments used by the food industry to sanitize the food we eat. This alternative method uses electrolyzed oxidizing water (EO water), which effectively destroys harmful bacteria and preserves nutrients destroyed by heat while eliminating excess chemicals in wastewater. EO water is produced by electrolyzing a very dilute sodium chloride (or table salt) solution, creating an acid and a base fraction. The solution is separated to obtain the acid fraction, which exhibits potent anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. Dr. Hung was the first to use EO water in the food industry and interest in his work is spreading across the globe. Both the Functional Water Society of Japan and the National Science Council in Taiwan have invited Dr. Hung to give numerous lectures on EO water. He currently is collaborating with Kagoshima University, the National Food Research Institute, and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Japan to apply his EO water technology.