The manufacturing process is vital and involves a lot of separate but linked processes. Some of the methods include disinfection and cleaning of the equipment. This is a visible aspect of food processing and essential to combating infections and diseases. The cleaning process in this industry involves removing beverage and food soils from the surfaces of the equipment before the disinfection process. The surfaces are thoroughly cleaned to ensure the disinfection is effective.
The cleaning process is affected by factors like time and the cleaning solution used together with the equipment. The more the harmful materials are removed, the safer the food processing process. Temperature is vital as some soluble food materials can be removed by increasing the temperature. The chemical concentrations of the cleaners are reduced with time and temperature increased.
Mechanical force is vital as it helps remove soil and reduce temperature and time. The mechanical force also reduces concentration requirements. CIP systems clean interior surfaces and other pipes by circulating the disinfectant solution through that system. The method eliminates the need to disassemble your equipment.
Other advantages of CIP includes automating the system and workers to ensure they are not directly exposed to these cleaning agents. CIP requires disassembling the equipment before placing it in a tank with a cleaning solution in circulation. The mechanical system is simple, and employees can easily manage to scrub the equipment using the cleaning solution. The process includes pre-rinse, rinse, cleaning, acid rinse, and disinfection.
The kind of chemicals used and the process depends mainly on the properties of the soils and the soil amount left behind after the process is complete. Consequently, it depends on the nature of the surface. Note that the process involves large amounts of water. The primary aspect of this process is sanitation like reduction o the micro-organisms to levels that are safe for the public.
Two methods used include chemical disinfection and thermal disinfection. The chemical sanitizers rely on concentration, time, and temperature as the most critical factors. The chemical sanitizers can be affected by pH and water quality. Applying chemical disinfection depends on the type of organisms you are targeting as different organisms have a different response to concentrations and chemical agents.
Chemical agents used include iodine, chlorine, quaternary ammonium compounds, fatty acid sanitizers, peroxide compounds, ozone, and acid-anionic sanitizers. The chemical sanitizer process takes 30 minutes maximum and uses cold water or hot water in the case of thermal disinfection. The thermal disinfection process takes 60 minutes. Using chemical disinfection as proposed to thermal disinfection lowers your energy costs and even shortens cycle times.
Ozone and other sanitation chemicals are options you can consider. Ozone uses a broad spectrum biocide which works against all pathogens in food processing environments. Ozone is faster acting compared to other agents which means you get shorter cycle times and use lower dosages. The rate of action is measured as the product of disinfectant concentration multiplied by exposure time at that specific concentration. The product helps you achieve a particular reduction in the micro-organism concentration, commonly known as the Ct value. Ct values for ozone are 6-1000 ties better than alternative disinfectants.