8 replies to this topic

[Alexxx]

Hi everyone,

 

Hope you are all having a wonderful day. I have recently came upon an issue with our cleaning procedure. We have aluminum mixing paddles that we use to prepare the dough for regular (with eggs) and vegan (without eggs) products. We regularly do egg analysis to ensure that there is no egg residue after cleaning the mixing paddles between vegan and regular days. 

 

Recently we have come into an issue where the test is positive. Our cleaning procedures have not changed and everything is the same. I know aluminum surfaces are porous, and I want to know if there is an efficient way to throughly clean those paddles. We currently remove all dough residues from them, soak them in hot/warm water with soap, use a dedicated towel/sponge/scrub for cleaning and we than rinse and let them dry before sanitizing them. 

 

Any suggestions will for cleaning will help. As of right now, we will get more paddles to have dedicated ones for each products (vegan and regular). But I would still like to receive some input on how to improve our cleaning procedure.

 

Thank you to all of you!

[Shrimper]

I agree with your next steps. Get paddles dedicated to each product and this issue will not happen again. As for proper cleaning, those steps seem great. Is there a chance re-contamination could have happened to get the positive result? How do you do your testing?

[Alexxx]

I agree with your next steps. Get paddles dedicated to each product and this issue will not happen again. As for proper cleaning, those steps seem great. Is there a chance re-contamination could have happened to get the positive result? How do you do your testing?

That was my first assumption too. There must have been a re-contamination after the cleaning was done (most probably the person who cleaned it contaminated it when handling it after it has been cleaned).

Regarding the test, we do swab the paddles after they are completely dried and sent them to an external laboratory who does ELISA. 

[jfrey123]

How far back do your cleaning records go on these paddles to show effective control of the egg residue?  Sometimes we spend hours and hours root causing and trying to determine if there's a flaw in our methods, only to ignore that sometimes people just screw it up.

 

Since you indicate there are egg days and vegan days, I do like your idea of separate paddles just to further help keep things safe.  Don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean the egg paddles can start routinely testing positive for egg residue lol.  But at least it adds an extra degree of allergen safety to your process.

[Alexxx]

How far back do your cleaning records go on these paddles to show effective control of the egg residue?  Sometimes we spend hours and hours root causing and trying to determine if there's a flaw in our methods, only to ignore that sometimes people just screw it up.

 

Since you indicate there are egg days and vegan days, I do like your idea of separate paddles just to further help keep things safe.  Don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean the egg paddles can start routinely testing positive for egg residue lol.  But at least it adds an extra degree of allergen safety to your process.

I've only been at this current place for a year as of now. But their cleaning records showed effective control for the past ~5 years. I'm not sure if a re-contamination occurred right after cleaning, but it could be the reason why it tested positive.

 

I've also looked into the cleaning products we use and noticed that the safety data sheet  categorized it as "CORROSIVE TO METALS - Category 1". I've contacted the company for further information, but I know that alkaline solution can deteriorate aluminum surfaces, making them harder to clean overtime.

[GMO]

We have aluminum mixing paddles that we use to prepare the dough for regular (with eggs) and vegan (without eggs) products. 

 

I also hope you have a wonderful day.

 

But I'm sorry to ask the question...

 

Why are they aluminium?

 

Al pits easily and also gets damaged if it rubs against other metals SUPER easily.  It's also the hardest metal to detect in a metal detector or x-ray.  Think it's covered by your non ferrous piece?  Think again.  

 

You need to change the material.  Sorry.  That will make the paddle heavier but it will also make it safer.

 

But before doing so, find out why it's Al.  I suspect it's so it's deliberately sacrificial.  Yep, really.  So it doesn't damage what you're mixing in.  If you need that, or there's a risk, make it blue, non porous (so not porous nylon) plastic but ideally set up so you don't have any paddle / surface contact.  At the moment though I strongly suspect some bright spark of an engineer has decided on Al to avoid bowl damage not thinking "but where is the Aluminium going...?"

 

Al will not be resilient to most cleaning agents in food factories, fundamentally because it's not meant to be there.  You'll be stuck with pretty rubbish and non corrosive options I suspect if you don't change.

Post cleaning cross contact is always possible but so is that your previous results were either on paddles which hadn't been chemically damaged creating micro pitting or were just not taken in a "robust" fashion.  I think you know what I'm getting at...  There's a way to try and find allergens and a way to not try very hard.

[Scampi]

I'm with GMO   the paddles need switched full stop

 

any good machine shop can fab new ones out of stainless if the piece of equipment is old

 

Aluminum is not an acceptable material for food contact items

 

The are soft metal cleaning chemicals out there, they are formulated with a buffer chemical that lessens, but does not prevent damage to soft metal

 

diversey endurosafe as an example

[Alexxx]

I also hope you have a wonderful day.

 

But I'm sorry to ask the question...

 

Why are they aluminium?

 

Al pits easily and also gets damaged if it rubs against other metals SUPER easily.  It's also the hardest metal to detect in a metal detector or x-ray.  Think it's covered by your non ferrous piece?  Think again.  

 

You need to change the material.  Sorry.  That will make the paddle heavier but it will also make it safer.

 

But before doing so, find out why it's Al.  I suspect it's so it's deliberately sacrificial.  Yep, really.  So it doesn't damage what you're mixing in.  If you need that, or there's a risk, make it blue, non porous (so not porous nylon) plastic but ideally set up so you don't have any paddle / surface contact.  At the moment though I strongly suspect some bright spark of an engineer has decided on Al to avoid bowl damage not thinking "but where is the Aluminium going...?"

 

Al will not be resilient to most cleaning agents in food factories, fundamentally because it's not meant to be there.  You'll be stuck with pretty rubbish and non corrosive options I suspect if you don't change.

Post cleaning cross contact is always possible but so is that your previous results were either on paddles which hadn't been chemically damaged creating micro pitting or were just not taken in a "robust" fashion.  I think you know what I'm getting at...  There's a way to try and find allergens and a way to not try very hard.

Really appreciate your detailed answer. I am fully aware that Al is not the best choice. I've contacted the cleaning product manufacturer, and was told that the the product is safe and effective on porous materials, such as Al. But I still suspected that the material has been degraded over time due to the cleaning chemical. I am still investigating this problem to try and find the root cause, but changing paddles will end up being the best option no matter what.

[GMO]

Really appreciate your detailed answer. I am fully aware that Al is not the best choice. I've contacted the cleaning product manufacturer, and was told that the the product is safe and effective on porous materials, such as Al. But I still suspected that the material has been degraded over time due to the cleaning chemical. I am still investigating this problem to try and find the root cause, but changing paddles will end up being the best option no matter what.

 

Ok, let me play through the behaviours that I don't just suspect, (I'm too long in the tooth for that), I KNOW will be happening in your plant.

 

So you have this mild detergent right?  I suspect you have some more aggressive chemicals and green pads for cleaning tougher areas in other parts of the plant?  What do you think your compliance is with using the right chemical?  Imagine you're a cleaning operative.  You clean these paddles but they're a bit of a pain because this soap is RUBBISH.  I mean it gets nothing off.  

 

"I have a sink full of caustic detergent and I clean other things in it.  Oh hey, this works better?  Even better still when I use the pad.  Look it's the cleanest I've ever seen it!"

 

It doesn't even take it happening every time.  Just a few, and your Al will be damaged.  That's before the risk of damage into your product during use.  Ask your engineers how often they need to replace them because they're worn.

 

I don't think it should be your last resort but your first.  There are reasons Al is not used in food manufacturing as a rule.  I agree with Scampi, you can get companies to make these for you.  I'd also strongly wager that this didn't arrive with an Al paddle...  

 

If you do change, make sure clearance is good obviously.  Nobody would thank you for SS contamination instead.