ACO Bringing processing costs down with hygienic design
The risk of contamination is always high in food producing environments and bacteria and pathogens can be present even if a surface looks clean. Salmonella, listeria, and E.Coli are able to breed quickly given the right conditions. Of course, cleaning methods will also differ from factory to factory, depending on what is being produced – ranging from automated cleaning-in-place (CIP) regimes through to manual processes consisting of foam spray and rinsing.
While automated CIP takes human error out of the equation, it does not always guarantee that surfaces are 100% clean. Food can still get trapped in crevices, in sharp corners and recesses. For the unwitting operator, an over-reliance on automated cleaning can even be a pitfall, where soiling and residue is missed and harbours in these areas over long periods of time. Manual cleaning has its own share of pros and cons. While responsibility goes back to the operator, who is able to guarantee that cleaning processes are carried out, it does reintroduce the human-error factor into the equation. Residue can easily be missed in recessed areas, and bacteria is invisible to the naked eye. This all points to the necessity of hygienic design in food processing facilities, to lower the risks of food debris getting lodged between production cycles.
A cleanability comparison
Here is where the Hygiene First range of drainage systems from ACO Building Drainage can make a difference. Designed with hygienic principles in mind, the range fulfils stringent hygienic requirements to minimise harmful bacteria and pathogen contamination of food arising from drainage elements. It does this by implementing BS EN 1672, BS EN ISO 14159 and EHEDG Document 8 requirements into its drainage element design.
To highlight how this makes a difference to cleanability, ACO engaged FraunhoferGesellschaft, Europe’s largest application oriented research organisation, to conduct a cleanability test. It compared how a non-hygienically designed dairy drainage pan compared with one which follows hygienic princples. Fraunhofer simulated a foaming and spray cleaning procedure under conditions that are commonly seen in the food processing industry. The tests showed that ACO’s hygienic channels can be cleaned much more efficiently, without additional mechanical cleaning steps. The cleaning of the non-hygienic channel required more effort, time and water, and it was not possible to completely clean within the tested cleaning procedure time. Monitoring the spray and rinsing process through optical equipment, ACO’s solution cleaned ten times faster than the nonhygienic trays with no residual residues, therefore minimising contamination risks and optimising cleaning costs.
Cleanability – which naturally leads to better hygiene – is clearly a vital consideration for food processing businesses. The indirect benefits of simply incorporating better hygienically designed products includes reduced cleaning cycle times and more efficient cleaning processes. Typically, food manufacturing factories will simply opt for stainless steel equipment, by way of addressing the hygiene issue. However, specification can go one step further – for example, ACO drainage systems are easy to maintain, due not just to the way they are designed but the material and treatment of the surface. Different grades of steel can lead to better performance and durability, not to mention surface treatments to enhance quality. Finishes like pickle passivation (acid treatment) or electropolishing (electrochemical processing) can remove iron particulates and metal impurities from the equipment. All of this means less potential to trap contaminants, leading to better health and safety, as well as reduced cleaning cycle times. This comes full circle back to hygienic requirements that prevent downtime or shutdown, and minimise costs of maintenance and operation. By incorporating hygienic design principles reserved for food contact surfaces as recommended by EHEDG.
It goes without saying that cleanliness is paramount in food production. Maintaining sanitary environments needs not just good cleaning practices, but also innovative design and expertise.