Cleaning and Chemicals in the meat industry

 

 

Disinfection of meat operations and their equipment is an integral part of Good Hygienic Practice (GHP) as it provides the proper environment for safe meat handling and processing.

 

 

Unhygienic conditions in a meat preparation operation, large or small result in un-attractive, tasteless products, spoilage of valuable food and foodborne diseases.

In modern meat processing, where more perishable and hygienically sensitive meat products such as convenience and pre-packed foods are worked with, proper cleaning and sanitation of premises, surfaces and equipment are especially important due to the microbial load of such products, which must be kept low to guarantee adequate shelf life and to avoid spoilage during distribution.

Sanitation refers to disinfection and pest control, and cleaning to the removal of dirt and organic substances, such as fat and protein particles from surfaces of walls, floors, tools and equipment.

Preconditions for efficient cleaning and sanitation are:

• Premises and equipment must be “cleaning-friendly”, meaning there must be easy access to all areas where contamination can take place.
• Proven methods for meat plant cleaning and sanitation must be made available to cleaning personnel.
• Cleaning personnel must be regularly instructed and trained in sanitation methods. One of the first things they should know is that while disinfectants do not sterilise the surfaces treated, they should kill all pathogens.
• The fourth and maybe easiest solution is to call in the services of a specialised food hygiene cleaning company.

High numbers of micro-organisms (90% and more) present on objects will be removed by cleaning, but many micro-organisms stick firmly to surfaces, in particular in tiny almost invisible layers of organic materials, so-called biofilms, and will not be removed entirely even by deep cleaning.

 

Inactivation of these micro-organisms requires antimicrobial treatments. These are carried out in food industries through hot water or steam, or through the application of disinfectants. Disinfectants should kill micro-organisms without affecting human health through hazardous residues and causing corrosion of equipment.

 

Production personnel often get confused with the apparent resistance to a disinfectant by a pathogen. Provided the correct, approved disinfectant is selected and surfaces are thoroughly cleaned prior to disinfection at the recommended concentration, a log 5 bacterial reduction should be achieved.

The key factor is not resistance to a type of chemical disinfectant, but rather the inadequate cleaning procedure preceding disinfection. You cannot disinfect a dirty surface! So wanting to change your disinfectant on a quarterly basis, as is done by many producers, is really achieving nothing more than “peace of mind”.

It is imperative to stay away from plastic cutting boards in the meat industry, as this can lead to porous contamination of this type of material. Ideally your CCPs will be cutting boards, conveyor belts, cutting apparatus, shackles and drains.

Drains and cold rooms have over the years been the forgotten enemies, even though these two areas seem to be the most frequent sources of contamination. Many a meat plant has identified Listeria Monocytogenes as the common pathogen.

Ph changes in cleaning solutions in the production area – i.e. using and acid wash, followed by an alkaline wash, followed by an acid disinfectant – is another way to “deep clean” and eradicate problem contamination areas.

This is achieved by using an acid-based detergent followed by a rinse, then another foamed application of an alkaline detergent, all at around 2-4%conc v/v. The area should then be rinsed and a suitable oxidizing disinfectant applied.

It is important to allow the disinfectant the correct time to produce the approved kill rate, i.e. ten minutes contact for a 99.999% kill against common pathogens.

The swabbing procedure is critical as it measures both the efficacy of the cleaning team and the performance of the selected products at the recommended dilution. Poor swabbing techniques and incorrect application of the swab sticks/rodac plates will produce an inaccurate result.

The time of the swabbing procedure must also be correct. Do not swab directly after application as the surfaces will be wet and the disinfectant will not have had sufficient time to work effectively.

All swab samples must be kept at 4ºC until plated. If not, this could lead to the samples themselves growing and giving a false reading of the area swabbed.

Following the correct sequence of steps in the cleaning and disinfection/sanitation procedure is equally important. Firstly, before starting the process, all food products must be removed from the area.

The first stage in floor and equipment cleaning is referred to as “dry cleaning”, i.e. to physically remove scrap such as solid particles with a dry brush or broom. Using large amounts of water to remove dry material would be wasteful and eventually cause drains to clog and waste water treatment facilities to become overburdened.

High-pressure cleaning, using water applied by high-pressure units and special spraying lances, is commonly used in the meat industry after dry-cleaning of scrap. This method of cleaning removes remaining small solid parts, blood and dirt from the floors and walls of processing rooms as well as getting rid of meat and fat particles from tools and equipment.

It is imperative to use hot water and cleaning detergents for fat removal by means of high-pressure cleaning, as they keep the fats dissolved, thus preventing them from settling down after the water temperature has decreased.

Foam cleaning involves spraying water foam containing detergents on walls, floors and surfaces of equipment. The foam does not immediately run off but clings to the surfaces.
After a sufficient contact period – the minimum being 15 minutes – the foam is washed down with water by making use of a water hose or low-pressure water spray. As no high pressure water spraying is needed for washing off the foam, the spreading of water droplets (aerosol) on the cleaned surfaces is reduced.

Detergents decrease the superficial tension of water and have dirt loosening properties, which assist water in penetrating the small spaces between dirt particles and surfaces where those particles are attached, thus making their removal possible.

Two important rules to remember are that the disinfectant solution must be applied to walls and equipment from top to bottom, with the floor being cleaned last, and potable water must be used for rinsing.

Chemical disinfectants are preferred for most applications in the meat industry, including the removal by hand of sticky or encrusted layers of fat from dismantled equipment, containers and smaller surfaces such as working tables.

 

These disinfectants do not have negative side-effects such as damage to equipment, which can occur when high humidity or water condensation is generated by, for example, steam.

Cleaning and disinfection procedures in meat industries are complex because they depend on the surfaces to be treated and the kind of contamination to be removed, and selection of suitable chemicals is vital.

Commercially available cleaning agents in modern cleaning practices are compositions of alkaline, acid or neutral chemical substances. These mixtures achieve a synergistic effect and result in the elimination of a broader spectrum of micro-organisms.

Detergents may have additional cleaning components such as chlorine, silicate or phosphate. It is important that manufacturers indicate the type of the substance, either alkaline, acidic or neutral, on the product label.

Alkaline cleaning agents are generally suitable for removing organic dirt, protein residues and fat, but may cause corrosion in tools and equipment if the pH is 11 and above. Acid cleaning agents are used particularly for removal of encrusted residues of dirt or protein or of inorganic deposits (“scaling”). Neutral cleaning agents have much less effect than alkaline or acid cleaning agents, but have mild impact on skin and materials and are useful for manual cleaning of smooth surfaces without encrusted dirt.

Alkaline and acid cleaning substances should be used alternatively. The alkaline agent should be used for routine cleaning, but every few days an acid substance should be employed instead for removal of crusted residue and inorganic deposits.

The chemical composition of disinfectants varies depending on the chemical formulations applied by the individual disinfectant manufacturer and the specific target area. In the meat industry, for instance, chemicals used in the slaughterhouse will not be the same as those used in meat processing, as the former requires more robust cleaning.

Frequency of disinfection should be as follows:

• Hand tools, meat saws and cutting boards: several daily disinfections (by hot water or chemicals);
• Dismantled equipment such as parts of grinders, fillers and stuffers, and floors of slaughter and processing rooms: daily disinfection;
• Other equipment and walls of processing and chilling rooms: disinfection once a week.

Good news is that there is a wealth of local suppliers that are just waiting to assist with your Equipment and Chemical needs. These include PHT, Industro Clean, Glenchem, Bidvest Steiner, Empact Group, Entecom, Goscor, Prime Cleaning Supplies, Pescatech and Lindol Hygiene to name but a few.

PHT – Hygiene and Food Safety are our passion

PHT is the food industry’s partner for hygiene and technology. We offer holistic, customized solutions to ensure your facility and personnel operate at the highest hygiene standards to produce safe food efficiently. Our innovative hygiene solutions span both personnel and facility hygiene.

With more than 25 years of experience in the food industry, we can advise you on the best options for access control, change room setup, cleaning and disinfection of workers’ hands, soles and boots, draining systems, deboning and conveyor systems, and equipment for cleaning and drying in your facility.

We pride ourselves on building partnerships, not only with our clients but also with world leaders in UV disinfection systems, slaughtering equipment, microwave and radiofrequency defrosting and tempering, cooking, and smoking solutions.

Whether you’re building a new site or refurbishing an existing one, we will be with you from design and planning to installation and maintenance.

For more info click here …….