Hello,
Anyone can help me in understanding the process of 'Flushing' of production lines?
We are producing dry feeds for animals and we have been asked to flush production lines with flour before production.
Regards,
Rudra
Hi Rudra,
I am an independent technical consultant based in the UK and am currently working with a client to implement ISO22000 in their factory that manufactures animal feed supplements (not complete feeds) and have some information that might be help.
The aim of "flushing" is remove and reduce the levels of any other products (from previous production) that might be held up in the production line. For example, if you were adding certain additives eg aromas, flavouring, nutritional supplements that a customer did not want to be present in their products eg from a quality (eg aroma / taste) or food safety viewpoint eg nutritional supplements toxic to other species of animal, then the customer might ask you to "flush" the production lines.
Typically "flushing" of production lines is a process where a quantity of material is transported through the production line, from raw materials in-feed eg storage bin through the transport system, mixer and packing line. The material used for "flushing" is then collected and packed off into bags. This can then be sent to waste or used in other applications where any cross-contamination present is not a problem for the animals consuming this as part of their diet.
Hope this helps!
Good luck and Kindest Regards,
DP2006