Page 54 - FoodFocusThailand No.160 July 2019

STRONG QC & QA

Factors influence on cleaning agent are time, temperature to reduce
adhesion between dirt and surface, reduce viscosity, increase solubility
of soluble substances, and increase chemical reaction rate, speed,
turbulence flow speed to help to remove dirt such as grease, stains
around joints, and the concentration of cleaning agents to increase
efficiency. Yet, it depends on the cleaning method.
Cleaning Tools
1. The use of cleaning force is suitable for a certain area which is • Iodophors, iodine compounds and surfactants, which is not
not too large, use with non-waterproof tool or other cleaning forms. Tools corrosive to metal, non-toxic, but should not be used with equipment
using in this method are such as mops, brushes, and scrubs. made from rubber or plastic as it absorbs this substance. The efficiency
2. Cleaning foam is a cleaning process that is widely used in food is in the range of pH <4, concentration 10-100 ppm, temperature not
production and processing with tools that support multiple functions and exceeding 50 ˚C.
used of mixture of chemical. This method is suit for large cleaning area. • Amphoteric compound. This substance is rarely used in the food
3. Spray is the use of pressure spraying cleaning agents. This method industry because it is expensive, but does not cause corrosion, non-
is a waste of chemicals and can slowly create bubble. It is suit for cleaning toxic, odorless. The common substance used are oxypopionic,
on areas where the foam cannot cover completely. imidazole.
4. Cleaning mist is a compressed air to create a mist which mixes • Acid compound such as acetic acid, lactic acid, popionic acid,
of disinfectants that can remain in the area long enough for disinfecting combined with negative ions helps sterilize surfaces made of stainless
airborne germs. The use of mist is not effective when use as key method, steel. It can destroy Selmonalla spp. and Listeria monocytogenes.
it will be effective when uses with other methods. • Alcohol such as ethyl alcohol or ethanol and isopropanol use for
5. Cleaning machine has been designed is various forms to respond disinfecting staff’s hands, easily evaporated, creating dried skin rapidly.
to various demand and supporting a wide range of work with automatic This substance is suit for sterilizing small dirt by using of 70%
and semi-automatic system, with the use of chemicals and water in large concentration. If want to disinfect on the surface that needs drying,
quantities. If miscalculating the amount of mixtures of substances, it may normally use 95% ethyl alcohol.
cause the risk of contamination with the product. Used chemicals should Cleaning and Disinfection Programs
not create large amount of bubbles.
Disinfection is the process of destroying all or part of microorganisms Cleaning and sterilization are important activity in food production which
except spores, which is a cleaning with chemicals such as disinfectant affects the quality and safety of food products produced by the factory.
or physical methods to reduce the number of microorganisms, especially Machinery, production equipment must be hygienic, easy to clean,
on surfaces in food and surround areas such as food contact surfaces. sterilize and maintenance. There must be plans and programs such as
Disinfection is not intended to destroy all types of microorganisms, washing and disinfection before producing, during breaks, after work,
but to reduce their quantities, which depends on the purpose such as to and during changing of shift, which should consider on various factors
reduce the amount of pathogen bacteria to a level that is not harm such as area coverage, equipment, tools and machinery, proper cleaning
consumers, not cause microbial spoilage. It is not sterile. In general, it methods, appropriate frequencies, inspections, responsible personnel,
does not include bacterial spores. as well as documents and records. Moreover, there must be a monitoring
Note: Disinfection has the same meaning as sanitization, but in the of the cleanliness of the equipment, machinery, production equipment,
United States and in the food industry, it is preferable to use the term including staffs and verifying the cleaning program. Things that should
sanitization. be considered for cleaning and disinfecting are buildings, equipment,
tools such as knives, chopping boards, operating tables, containers,
carts and pallets.
Disinfection is divided into disinfection with cleaning methods and
thermal sterilization such as using hot water to soak equipment, steam Checking and Evaluation of Cleaning Procedures
sterilization, UV disinfection, and chemical disinfection. Factors affecting
chemical disinfection include temperature, concentration, exposure time, Measurement is important to ensure confidence in various processes
cleanliness- dirt on the surface, acidity- alkalinity, hardness of water, and and evaluate whether to achieve the goal. The examination may be
creation of microbial film on the surface. The cleaning and disinfecting determined by visual inspection, microbial testing, ATP bioluminescence
on various surfaces with cleaning agents and disinfectants must use of technique, pH measurement, chemical testing. All of these can indicate
substances suitable for the surface and dirt, while must be ensured that the danger in the production system. The cleaning process, sterilization,
the two substances can work together effectively. and frequency must be verified and recorded, which can be divided
into 4 groups as follows:
Types of Chemicals Used for Disinfection 1. Physical aspects: observe the contact, smell, blemish, slag
• Chlorine compounds such as hypochlorite, the best performance, 2. Biological: water soaking, washing water, pH balance, dyeing,
pH 4.5, concentration 50-200 ppm, time 3-30 minutes UV reflective and swab test.
• Quaternary, ammonia or quatz compounds. These compounds 3. Allergic reactions: chemical reactions to workers
are colorless, odorless, heat resistant, stabilized in a wide pH range, not 4. Chemicals: determine residual chemicals, rinse test
corrosive to metal except some rubber. But it cannot effectively destroy All safety must be checked, repeated checks, and must have training
coliform microorganism. This group is not suitable for using with hard and human resource development to ensure personnel have knowledge
water that are commonly used, such as acetyl, trimethyl, ammonium, and understanding in proper cleaning and disinfection because it is
bromide, lauryl dimethyl, benzene and chloride. It often used at important for the safety of food production.
concentrations between 50-500 ppm, temperature not exceeding 50 ˚C
at 1- 30 minutes.

54 FOOD FOCUS THAILAND JUL 2019

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