preservation Ozone treatment for seeds

[SpainChillihead]

Hi guys.

Ok, I searched the forum and didn't see anything related.
So I throw my question:

I have had an Ozone Generator at home for years. They gave it to me when my daughter was born, for some reason that I still don't know...

In 2020 I used it as a method to sanitize seeds just before bagging and storing. My idea was that it would kill the microbes and molds and further dry out the seeds.
Last year it worked in my head, I thought that this way I could save the seeds for longer and, in addition, they would germinate better.
This year I tried several seeds that went through the ozone method and germinated well. Killing them I see that it doesn't kill them.
But now I have the doubt if the oxidizing power of ozone also contributes to the premature aging of the seeds.

Can someone with more knowledge than me say something about it? (To have more knowledge than me, you just need to know how to differentiate annum from frutescens, or know how to put on your shirt well in the morning ...)

PS: You can see that my scientific method is similar to that of Alice in Wonderland: "believe in magic and that everything will work out" ... that's why I ask you

 

[Max Nihil]

A link to a paper on the topic:

(PDF) Seed disinfestation by ozone treatments

PDF | Seed contamination by fungi may be dangerous either in the case in which seed is used in sowing either when it is stored as human or animal food.... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

www.researchgate.net

Evidently it does work.
Another link to a PDF about the method:
http://www.stcu.int/documents/reports/distribution/tpf/ENERGY/ENVIR_RESEARCH/hannover 178.pdf

Essentially the ability to disinfect is the ability to kill and the idea is to stop the process after the microbes have died but before the seeds do. The same concept is used for other similar treatments, like bleach solutions, too little time means no disinfection and too much kills the seeds and somewhere in between is that happy median where the seeds are disinfected.

Be careful about limiting your exposure to Ozone.
It's not safe to be around and we are normally exposed to only trace amounts in nature.

It's an unstable triple oxygen molecule that wants to lose one of those oxygen atoms. That means it can damage molecules it comes in contact with, which is why it can be used to kill things. The secret to using it to disinfect is to use enough to kill microbes and fungi but not so much that you kill the embryos in the seed.

It is an extremely dangerous molecule because it is a powerful oxidizer and can be not only damaging to soft tissues exposed to it, it is also a potential carcinogenic agent due to it's radical formation. Keep concentrations low, below 1ppm, to ensure that it is not immediately toxic, but keep in mind gradual exposure can have a cumulative negative effect just as it does with other oxidizing agents like UV, radiowaves and hadronic particle radiation like alpha, beta and gamma emission.

I would increase the dose of anti-oxidant molecules in the diet for people who have increased oxidant and free radical exposure as a way to help prevent cancer and I would not allow people who have a family history of cancer or genetic predisposition to it, to be exposed at all if I could help it.

If used carefully it should be effective and fairly safe.

 

[SpainChillihead]

A link to a paper on the topic:

(PDF) Seed disinfestation by ozone treatments

PDF | Seed contamination by fungi may be dangerous either in the case in which seed is used in sowing either when it is stored as human or animal food.... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

www.researchgate.net

Evidently it does work.
Another link to a PDF about the method:
http://www.stcu.int/documents/reports/distribution/tpf/ENERGY/ENVIR_RESEARCH/hannover 178.pdf

Essentially the ability to disinfect is the ability to kill and the idea is to stop the process after the microbes have died but before the seeds do. The same concept is used for other similar treatments, like bleach solutions, too little time means no disinfection and too much kills the seeds and somewhere in between is that happy median where the seeds are disinfected.

Be careful about limiting your exposure to Ozone.
It's not safe to be around and we are normally exposed to only trace amounts in nature.

It's an unstable triple oxygen molecule that wants to lose one of those oxygen atoms. That means it can damage molecules it comes in contact with, which is why it can be used to kill things. The secret to using it to disinfect is to use enough to kill microbes and fungi but not so much that you kill the embryos in the seed.

It is an extremely dangerous molecule because it is a powerful oxidizer and can be not only damaging to soft tissues exposed to it, it is also a potential carcinogenic agent due to it's radical formation. Keep concentrations low, below 1ppm, to ensure that it is not immediately toxic, but keep in mind gradual exposure can have a cumulative negative effect just as it does with other oxidizing agents like UV, radiowaves and hadronic particle radiation like alpha, beta and gamma emission.

I would increase the dose of anti-oxidant molecules in the diet for people who have increased oxidant and free radical exposure as a way to help prevent cancer and I would not allow people who have a family history of cancer or genetic predisposition to it, to be exposed at all if I could help it.

If used carefully it should be effective and fairly safe.

Wow, your answer is very complete!!!!

The seeds are exposed for 30 minutes in a combination of air and ozone. It's then packed into their ziploc bags. I see from the ResearchGate link that the ideal exposure is 1.5 to 3 minutes...
Yesterday I did it again. I will do a germination test on all varieties, just to make sure I didn't kill any seeds. I will tell you the result.

This finding the middle ground doesn't go with me. I think it is easier to soak the seeds in a H2O2 + water solution for 15 minutes before putting them to germinate. If the seeds are spoiled during storage, they will have to be bought new...

He was completely unaware of the especially negative effects of Ozone on living organisms. On the box it said 'Human Safe' ... perhaps this is also said by Monsanto products and others
On some occasion (few times) I put it at home to eliminate odors and little else. But with a young daughter and my pregnant wife, it seems like this kind of information is a bit scary.

I think when I get home I'll take it back to the garage, it'll be better there covering up in dust.

Thank you very much for your answer!

 

[Max Nihil]

Gasoline, radio waves and UV light can all cause cancer through radical formation and benzene toxicity, however with healthy diet and active lifestyle the risk is less severe. Ozone is less of a threat than they are. (in most cases) Vitamin C and vitamin E protect against free-radical oxidants which aren't exactly rare in our present environment.

I've employed HEPA filters with an ozone generating component as well as a small plug in wall unit in years past (2002-2008 or so) with no observable adverse effects, however consumer home ozone generating models are designed to produce low amounts in the parts per billion (PPB) and are designed to neutralize floating aromatic molecules (like benzene) and this actually destroys the benzene and so low levels of ozone do potentially have the capacity to eliminate some other airborne hazardous chemicals (mostly phenolic ones) from the environment including those from gasoline etc.

Our bodies are fully equipped to handle low levels of ozone, which are produced by electrical discharges of lighting, through our evolutionary history. It is only the larger concentrations and prolonged near constant exposure to low concentrations that we need to be concerned about, except for people in certain risk groups that ingest large amounts of materials that oxidize molecules. Addicts are at the biggest risk; alcohol, meth, fast food and smoking addicts in particular. (And literally in that order of severity) Those people have much higher anti-oxidant requirements and all tend to have significant organ damage due to it.

If you have seen the aging effects of alcohol or meth or even sunbathing on a person you are familiar with oxidative damage, all three can make a 20 year old woman look 46 in a couple of years. It's horrific.

The more they do it the faster it tends to happen.

The oxidative damage is dose dependent upon the oxidizing radicals involved, which fail to be neutralized by the bodies own anti-oxidant protection. Addicts deplete their anti-oxidants rapidly but people in good health have enough to make low levels of ozone relatively harmless. In other words the toxicity of our immediate environment is related to our health and in general healthy pregnant women and children are not ordinarily at increased risk for oxidative damage. The elderly are at a slightly greater risk but still much lower than addicts in most cases.

I realize this is a bit of a side topic but I hope it can be of use.

 

[SpainChillihead]

Hi!
Hey @Max Nihil , thank you for your answers! You're as wise a man as an encyclopedia of science!

I did a germination test with pepper seeds (annum and chinense), tomato and eggplant. All the seeds that had gone through the Ozone method germinated. It seems that, at least this time, I didn't kill the seed embryos.

If there're changes, I'll continue to report here.

Thank you veeery much!