Safety of Water Used in Food Production

Water has a major and fundamental role in safety of food production. It is a critical resource for the food industry with wide uses. In most of the food preparation and processing operations, water is often taken for granted. Water is very commonly used in food production at various levels, apart from being used as an ingredient. Water quality and its impact on food products and various operations in food industries are often underestimated. Such underestimation often leads to mismanagement of water, equipment operation and maintenance issues, loss of revenue, food safety, and product quality. This chapter deals with several aspects of water as applicable to the food production. Agriculture is the largest consumer of water, requiring over 100 times more than that used for personal needs. The concept of water footprint is used to discern the importance of relative value in terms of water. The water footprint of any animal product is larger than the water footprint of a wisely chosen crop product with equivalent nutritional value. The production of meat requires between 6 and 20 times more water than for cereals and vegetables or fruits. Water is indispensible in cleaning and sanitization in food production, which is an integral part in processing operations in food production. In food storage and preservation, water plays a key role. The water activity of food helps a great deal in deciding shelf-life and food safety. The quality of water is the fundamental consideration in any food production process. The quality depends on the source of water and the actual application in food production. The pollution of water occurs at any stage in various ways. Physical, chemical, or biological agents cause significant health hazards in safe production of food. Contamination of water by several pathological microorganisms creates major challenges in food safety and threats to human and animal health. The majority of diseases which are transmitted through contaminated fresh water, are caused by pathogenic microorganisms. Whenever water is used as an ingredient in food product, it must be free from undesirable taste, odor, color, and impurities, including pathogenic organisms that could jeopardize consumers’ health and gravely affect product quality. The quality of water must adhere to the safe drinking water standard. Various techniques and methods of water treatments should be used to purify water as per the guidelines of government authorities to improve food safety. Soil has multiple roles in deciding water quality. Good quality soil has better ability to remove all types of contaminants of water, whereas deteriorated soil becomes a source of heavy metals, organic chemicals, and soil pathogens in water contamination. Use of genetically modified food is gaining much publicity recently. Even though a controversial topic, great care must be taken when genetically modified food is used. It is mandatory that one should review the basic principles of food safety before consuming any food.