Organic on a Budget: Transform Your Produce Affordably

Are you passionate about eating healthily and supporting sustainable farming practices, but find it challenging to afford organic produce? Look no further! In this article, you'll find out how to enjoy the benefits of pesticide-free fruits and vegetables without breaking the bank.

Have you ever heard of electrolysed water? It sounds like something out of a science laboratory, but it can transform your fruit and vegetables by removing pesticides and killing bacteria, mould and viruses. It's easy, affordable and has other benefits too. Read on to find out more.

What is electrolysed water?

You can produce electrolysed water by passing an electric current through a weak solution of salt water. When you apply an electrical current to the salt water solution, the water and salt molecules break apart and combine into a few new molecules, including hypochlorous acid (HClO), the hypochlorite ion (OCl) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH).

Hypochlorous acid is a safe, effective antimicrobial sanitiser. Our white blood cells produce it to kill bacteria, fungi and viruses in the body. It's about 100 times more effective than bleach (sodium hypochlorite). But, unlike bleach, it's still safe on skin (1).

The sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in electrolysed water is a kind of detergent found in many cleaning and personal care products in varying concentrations, including all-purpose cleaners and toothpaste. It provides optimal cleaning conditions for the hypochlorite ion.

Effects of electrolysed water on fruits and vegetables

As you would expect, electrolysed water is very effective for killing bacteria, mould and viruses on fruits and vegetables (2, 3, 4). This makes it valuable for avoiding the bacteria that cause food poisoning, such as E. coli, Salmonella spp. and S. aureus, as well as viruses such as noroviruses, which are often responsible for gastroenteritis. Its effects on moulds and fungi help to reduce waste by stopping fruit and vegetables going mouldy.

Electrolysed water also has a lot of research showing its effectiveness at removing pesticide residues (2).

One study found that it was effective at removing organophosphates, pyrethroids and fungicide residues from vegetables without affecting their quality or texture (5). Another research study showed that it was more effective at pesticide residue removal than bleach, VegWash and deionised water (6).

Bacillus cereus is a bacterium that can be problematic for people that reheat rice, perhaps for fried rice. It has a tendency to form spores that are found in uncooked rice, although it is often in a range of other foods too. Cooking the food doesn't destroy the spores. Unless it's cooled really quickly, the bacillus grows rapidly and can cause food poisoning (7). Treating it with electrolysed water rapidly removed the spores, making the food safe to eat (8).

You may have heard about ethylene gas being produced by some fruit and vegetables once they're harvested. It's caused by the produce ripening after harvest and is most commonly found in plums, peaches, rock melon (cantaloupe), pears, bananas and tomatoes. Pre-treating them with electrolysed water delays the production of ethylene gas, so it can help to preserve them for longer (9).

Washing fruits and vegetables always results in the loss of some micronutrients, but one study showed that soaking them in electrolysed water resulted in no more loss of vitamin C and beta-carotene (a form of vitamin A) than washing in tap water (9).

Where can you buy electrolysed water?

From a commercial point of view, one downside of electrolysed water is that it breaks down into salt water again within about 7 days. Of course, this is one reason that it's such a safe product to use. But it means that it isn't commercially viable to sell containers of it.

Until fairly recently, units that produced electrolysed water were too expensive for the average consumer to consider buying. But over the past few years, manufacturers have been producing portable units that are relatively inexpensive. Given that they extend the life of produce, remove pesticide residues and kill bacteria that could cause illness (so you could use the electrolysed water as a sanitiser for surfaces and hands, as well as on produce), they are an excellent investment that will quickly pay for themselves.

I recently purchased an Aquapure unit to use at home and I'm highly delighted with it.

• It works in 5-15 minutes, depending on the volume of water used.

• It seems to do a wonderful job of cleaning my produce, as the water is pretty brown after it's worked its magic.

• They have accredited lab test results confirming that it removes pesticides like glyphosate and some others, and they're getting tests done to confirm the rest. There's no question in my mind that it would be just as effective on them too.

• The same lab has shown it almost completely eradicates harmful bacteria.

• Fruit like apples that are often covered in Apeel™ (10), which many people are concerned about, doesn't feel waxy after using the unit. This suggests that it has removed the Apeel™ as well as the pesticide residues that the Apeel™ probably covers.

• The unit is compact enough to pack in my luggage when I go away.

• It is rechargeable using a USB connection, so it's easy to recharge wherever in the world I am. But it works for about 10 cycles on one charge, anyway.

• You don't need a special bowl to use it in, although it's best not to use it in metal bowls because it is slightly acidic.

• You can make hand and surface sanitiser at home. It's best stored in small quantities, in a non-metallic container, out of direct sunlight. It's ideal for carrying in your handbag or pocket.

• The electrolysed water won't irritate your skin or eyes, so it's safe around children.

• The unit will last for years. It doesn't need any maintenance apart from a quick clean. The only extra expense is about 1-2 teaspoons of salt each time you use it.

• It's currently on sale at almost half price, so it's worth snapping one up before the price rises.

I was so impressed that I joined their affiliate program, so they pay me a small percentage of any purchase from the link here, which helps to maintain my website. You can find the details about the Aquapure unit here. You will also find the details on the Resources page of my website here.

Of course, there are other reasons for buying organic produce, which you can read about in this article. I talk about this in my book too, along with much more about the best foods to eat and those to avoid, and so much more. You can find out all about it by watching my YouTube video here. And you can find all your local online stores that stock the book by clicking on the button below.

References

• Cleveland Clinic. What is hypochlorous acid? And why should you use it? Cleveland Clinic. August 2, 2021. Accessed April 8, 2024. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/hypochlorous-acid-skin-care.

• Qi H. Efficacy of electrolyzed water in degrading and removing pesticide residues on fresh produce. University of Georgia. 2015. Accessed April 5, 2024. https://esploro.libs.uga.edu/esploro/outputs/9949333881002959.

• Issa-Zacharia A. Application of slightly acidic electrolyzed water as a potential sanitizer in the food industry. Journal of Food Quality. 2024;2024(Article ID 5559753):1-18. doi:10.1155/2024/5559753.

• Park GW, Boston DM, Kase JA, Sampson MN, Sobsey MD. Evaluation of liquid- and fog-based application of Sterilox hypochlorous acid solution for surface inactivation of human norovirus. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 2007;73(14):4463-4468. doi:10.1128/aem.02839-06.

• Liu Y, Wang J, Zhu X, et al. Effects of electrolyzed water treatment on pesticide removal and texture quality in fresh-cut cabbage, broccoli, and color pepper. Food Chemistry. 2021;353:129408. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129408.

• Qi H, Huang Q, Hung Y-C. Effectiveness of electrolyzed oxidizing water treatment in removing pesticide residues and its effect on produce quality. Food Chemistry. 2018;239:561-568. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.06.144.

• 1. Schneider KR, Schneider RG, Silverberg R, Kurdmongkoltham P, Bertoldi B. FSHN15-06/FS269: Preventing foodborne illness: Bacillus cereus. September 1, 2020. Accessed April 9, 2024. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FS269.

• Zhang C, Li B, Jadeja R, Hung Y. Effects of electrolyzed oxidizing water on inactivation of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus spores in suspension and on carriers. Journal of Food Science. 2015;81(1):M144-M149. doi:10.1111/1750-3841.13169.

• Saxena J. Application of electrolysed water in post-harvest treatment of fruits and vegetables. Sustainable Food Technology. 2024;2:281-291. doi:10.1039/d3fb00212h.

• O'Meara C. Apeel – insanity from every direction . The Nutrition Academy. November 29, 2023. Accessed April 9, 2024. https://thenutrition.academy/apeel/.