6 replies to this topic

[AMHunt]

Hi All -

 

My facility just acquired a new production line to fill 47 types of dry spices. To cut changeover time and simplify cleaning we would like to implement a dry cleaning process. Right now we disassemble our other fillers, push it into a sanitation room, use water/alkaline cleaner/sanitizer, and dry it with compressed air between every product.

 

Nobody in my facility knows anything about the dry cleaning process. Can somebody please help me with the basics of a dry cleaning SSOP? And how is it validated? 

 

I was given the suggestion to use bulk salt to flush out the filling equipment but can't seem to find any literature on this process.

 

Any help would be appreciated :)

 

Thanks

[Tony-C]

 

Sounds like a lot of changeovers so I can see why you are interested in this. I have used sugar in the past for dry flushing but that was a component of the product. I can see that salt might work as well but it would be useful to know more about your spices and equipment.

 

Also some other questions come to mind:

What are you going to do with the salt afterwards?

Have you considered using a vacuum?

Is a small crossover of spices acceptable?

 

Regards,

 

Tony

 

 

[AMHunt]

Thanks Tony. We have gravity based filling systems, with large hoppers and small filling hoppers using augers. Equipment is stainless steel, with rubber connecting boots.

 

We would throw the salt away, or reuse depending on sequence of products (i.e. celery seed to celery salt we would reuse the bulk salt). We have considered a vacuum but not all machine parts are accessible without disassembling. A small crossover of spices might be acceptable, as long as we sequence correctly. There are no allergens. We have considered a more thorough cleaning once a month or so.

 

Is the dry cleaning process really just a 'lack of' cleaning? Just brush down the equipment and go? (I'm having a hard time with this since we are used to foaming/scrubbing/sanitizing up to twice daily.)

 

Thank you for any insight on this.

[tanyac]

I work for a Spice Company and when we are doing like changes within products that are alike we use salt to flush out the system.  It actually helps remove a lot just make sure when you run your next product to put aside a few cases incase some of the salt is still present.

[Rudra]

Dear all,

I am having similar problem with cleaning of equipment / machines for spices. On top of that we have allergens based products. Any idea of how to ensure effective cleaning?

Many thanks,

Rudra

[Hank Major]

I think you are asking how to Validate the cleaning procedure?

 

One way is to conduct a series of experiments. Best practice would be to do the testing after each allergen, because some are easier to clean than others. So, after the, say, milk powder run, you test after the crew does what they usually do, then swab for milk allergen in a few spots and send it to the lab. Ditto with the wheat product run, the tree nut run, etc.

 

You could also use a brightly colored blend, say of turmeric and cayenne, and then visually inspect the whole system after the salt is run through. If you see nothing, do some swabs from protein (not ATP). If there is no protein residue, you can be pretty sure there are no allergens.

 

Finally, you send out samples of finished product looking for allergens from the previous run. For example, a run of ranch dressing powder (milk) is run, followed by a regular salt cleaning, followed by a run of chili powder (no milk). Send the chili powder for milk allergen testing, and find out what the ppm numbers are.

Edited by Hank Major, 07 February 2020 - 09:29 PM.

[Charles.C]

Thanks Tony. We have gravity based filling systems, with large hoppers and small filling hoppers using augers. Equipment is stainless steel, with rubber connecting boots.

 

We would throw the salt away, or reuse depending on sequence of products (i.e. celery seed to celery salt we would reuse the bulk salt). We have considered a vacuum but not all machine parts are accessible without disassembling. A small crossover of spices might be acceptable, as long as we sequence correctly. There are no allergens. We have considered a more thorough cleaning once a month or so.

 

Is the dry cleaning process really just a 'lack of' cleaning? Just brush down the equipment and go? (I'm having a hard time with this since we are used to foaming/scrubbing/sanitizing up to twice daily.)

 

Thank you for any insight on this.

 

^^^^^^ Ahem !.

 

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