Peracetic acid concentration and monitoring and concentration-based dosing system

A system for controlling a desired concentration of peroxycarboxylic acid in a protein food product processing application, the system comprising:

• a mixer in fluid communication with an inlet stream, a dosing stream and a processing solution outlet stream, the inlet stream comprising water, the dosing stream comprising a peroxycarboxylic acid solution, the mixer capable of mixing the inlet and dosing streams provided into the mixer to provide a processing solution comprising water and a concentration of peroxycarboxylic acid, and the processing solution outlet stream comprising the processing solution;
• a sample stream of the processing solution outlet stream, the sample stream being a portion diverted from the processing solution outlet stream;
• a probe for measuring the concentration of peroxycarboxylic acid in the sample stream, the probe capable of transmitting a signal relating to the measured peroxycarboxylic acid concentration in the sample stream;
• a control assembly configured to receive the signal from the probe and determine whether the measured concentration of peroxycarboxylic acid in the sample stream is between a lower threshold concentration level of a desired concentration of peroxycarboxylic acid and an upper threshold concentration level of the desired concentration of peroxycarboxylic acid by comparing the measured peroxycarboxylic acid concentration to the upper and lower threshold concentration levels;
• a dosing assembly configured to be selectively operated by the control assembly to either increase or decrease the concentration of the peroxycarboxylic acid in the dosing stream, wherein the dosing assembly is configured to be controlled by the control assembly to increase the concentration of the peroxycarboxylic acid in the dosing stream provided to the mixer and thereby to the processing solution in real-time when the measured concentration of the peroxycarboxylic acid in the sample stream is below the lower threshold concentration level, and wherein the dosing assembly is configured to be controlled by the control assembly to decrease the concentration of the peroxycarboxylic acid in the dosing stream provided to the mixer and thereby to the processing solution in real-time when the measured concentration of the peroxycarboxylic acid in the sample stream is above the upper threshold concentration level, wherein the desired concentration of peroxycarboxylic acid is between about 250 ppm and about 400 ppm, and wherein the lower threshold concentration level is about 5% less than the desired concentration of peroxycarboxylic acid and the upper threshold concentration level is about 20% greater than the desired concentration of peroxycarboxylic acid;
• and
• wherein the processing solution outlet stream is provided to one or more protein food products to reduce antimicrobial activity on the one or more protein food products.