When manufacturing food or beverages, safety and cleanliness are top priorities. Diligence is required to ensure equipment and materials follow all regulations and guidelines. Ignoring these standards can result in food soil or film on your operations. This can then lead to poor product quality, hygiene issues, and even foodborne illnesses.
Food soils are a mix of organic and inorganic matter that appear on equipment surfaces as unwanted residue. They are often categorized into water-soluble, acid-soluble, or alkali-soluble. They can be difficult to remove from surfaces and failure to do so could spell disaster.
Films, also called biofilms, are a mix of soils and microorganisms that permanently attach to food contact surfaces. Their ability to create hidden environments for microbes to grow can make cleaning more difficult,
This guide of common food soils and films and their characteristics will be the tool you need to keep your food operations up to standard.
More than just an essential macronutrient in food, protein can also be an unwanted addition to your operations, leaving behind a blueish sheen. Using non-chlorinated cleaners, an inadequate prerinse, and an improper or sporadic cleanup can cause this.
Luckily, you can remove this containment with an initial cleanup with equal parts chlorine, chlorinated alkaline detergent, and hot water. Prevent this problem in the future with proper cleaning techniques and products.
If you see a white or yellow deposit on your operations, this may be due to the presence of milkstone or waterstone. These minerals, caused by milk and water respectively, can be removed by an initial cleaning and acid wash. Prevent this from happening in the future with regular and proper cleaning procedures coupled with acidified rinse.
Hanging water droplets, a greasy appearance, and oil are indications that your process has fat or oil on it. The same causes of protein apply in this case. Improper detergent are also causes. Regular and proper cleaning procedures will remove and prevent this problem.
Mineral deposits, like calcium and magnesium, often occur due to the use of hard water for cleaning or processing. They are a significant issue in food safety operations as they can be difficult to remove. Other reasons they form on surfaces may be due to:
Don’t worry, they can be removed with an acid wash. Prevent them with an acid rinse, a water softener, or the use of a product with water conditioning properties.
Red, brown, or even black film on your operations will let you know that iron is present.
If you are utilizing mechanical cleaning in areas that require manual cleaning, or if you mechanically clean an equipment’s interior but fail to manually clean the outside, you may see silica deposits appear. . It can be removed with a hydrofluoric acid rinse or polishing with an abrasive compound.
Inking, also called blacking, can be identified by black spots on rubber parts. It is caused by the reaction between chlorine and rubber. It can be dealt with and prevented in the future by using an acid rinse and proper dry storage. If an acid wash does not remove it, the rubber part should be .
Wetting agents can be a great tool for removing soil and film on your food and beverage machinery. However, An initial cleanup will solve this problem, and a proper compound and thorough
Protective factory coating is supposed to guard your operations from soils and . A thorough cleaning will remove and prevent this problem.
Corrosion can become an issue wherever there is metal equipment and food and beverage equipment are not exceptions. Rusting or pitting happens when there an improper usage of chemicals or freezing of sanitizing solution on the bulk tank. By following proper procedures and utilizing a passivating acid rinse, you will be able to avoid this problem before it causes complications. Corrosion can be removed with an acid wash and abrasion or by repolishing in more severe cases.
Though it can be a purposeful act, etching is often an accidental process that eats away and damages metal surface through a chemical process. This occurs through too much exposure to a chemical or by exposure to an incompatible chemical. While you can repolish and repassivate these surfaces, the metal cannot be regenerated once it is gone.
Opaque plastics is a lack of transparency that can be caused by stress, improper draining, and moisture absorption. Expose
The yellowing of parts might be a sign that your product has reached old age, but it can also indicate hand soil stain or improper use of While this reaction cannot be removed, you can prevent it with proper product application.
If you see brown discoloration, this may be due to rubber migration or carbon from motors on dryers. By using an acid rinse, proper filtration, and separating rubber and plastics, you can avoid this outcome. To remove, use an acid wash. If this does not remove the stain from the part, it should be replaced.
There are many By taking the correct steps to protect your operations, you will prevent foodborne illnesses, avoid hygiene issues, and ensure food safety.
Looking to learn more about how you can prevent these issues in your processes? Our technical experts at DuBois are ready to help!
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