Disinfection and sanitization procedure for dairy machinery

Hi MDG,

Food contact surfaces should be cleaned by a CIP system whenever possible.
A CIP sequence typically consists of:
-    Pre-rinse with cold water until visibly clear
-    Caustic Recirculation at 80 ° C for specified contact time
-    Cold water rinse until detergent residues are removed
-    Rinse with Disinfectant solution for specified contact time
-    Rinse with potable water

There are variations on this such as hot water disinfection, acid clean instead of caustic, the use of peracetic acid without a final potable water rinse. If you use caustic then there will need to be acid cleans to remove any scale build up. Some systems do an acid clean each CIP.

As the previous poster has said it is down to your chemical supplier to recommend concentrations and the application. You should also check with any equipment supplier their recommendations and any limitations when cleaning such as maximum temperatures/caustic strength/acid strength.

Times will vary depending on the dairy product and production running time.

Cleans should be verified to ensure they are effective, you can use ATP or micro swabs/rinses to do this.

I am not a fan of using cloths or sponges are they are liable to contaminate the product/surface if not clean and can disintegrate and end up in the product. Food grade brushes are a much better idea.

Regards,

Tony