A surface is disinfected with a solution containing a fully or partially neutralized orthophosphate and optionally one or more surfactants. The method provides a safe and effective means of sanitizing surfaces such as cutting boards by removing, reducing or retarding the growth of pathogenic microorganisms without the use of substances that are toxic to humans.

The present invention is a surface pasteurizer and method for treating the surface of raw foods, by exposing the surface to a treatment gas in the absence of air, so rapidly and ending the treatment, by streaming the treatment gas back into vacuum, so rapidly that the interior of the food is unaffected by treatment and so that the pasteurizer is able to process a high volume of food in a given time period. The treatment may have for its object (1) killing surface microorganisms on such items as meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables, and packaging materials; (2) firming the surface layer over a sensitive interior on such items as encapsulated liquids, permeation membranes, and edible coated objects; or (3) weakening the surface layer over a sensitive interior in order to more easily remove the surface layer on such items as peeled grains, fruit and vegetables. The apparatus and method provide for (1) inserting the food into the apparatus, flushing the food with low pressure air-free steam during insertion; (2) exposing the food to a vacuum; (3) exposing the food to an air-free treatment gas; (4) exposing the food to a vacuum to remove the air-free treatment gas; and (5) expelling the food from the apparatus.

Sodium phosphate emulsifying agents can be prepared by contacting a liquid sodium phosphate with an effective amount of a source of alkalinity to give a liquid phosphate composition with a predetermined ratio of disodium phosphate and trisodium phosphate emulsifying agents. The liquid phosphate composition can then be combined with a food product precursor to produce a processed food product.

The present invention relates a method of preventing the browning or darkening in fish so as to provide fish having color which is the same as that of the freshly caught fish. The present invention also relates to a method of preparing food from such fish.

A process for treating poultry, red meat or seafood comprising the step of contacting the poultry, red meat or seafood with: (1) a treatment solution comprising trialkali metal orthophosphate; and (2) steam for a time period effective to remove, reduce or retard bacterial contamination without significantly depreciating the organoleptic properties of the animal and/or seafood is provided.