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Manual cleaning matters

11 December 2023

Amit M. Kheradia and Deb Smith discuss best practices regarding cleaning and disinfection of food processing equipment parts related to the use of Clean-in-place (CIP) technology.

Sanitation methods used in food manufacturing may range from being process-specific (CIP for sanitation of processing pipework and closed vessels) to the much simpler, process-agnostic manual cleaning involving the use of brushes, scrapers, squeegees
Sanitation methods used in food manufacturing may range from being process-specific (CIP for sanitation of processing pipework and closed vessels) to the much simpler, process-agnostic manual cleaning involving the use of brushes, scrapers, squeegees

Sanitation is essential: Cleaning and disinfection of food production equipment and environmental surfaces – both food-contact or non-food contact – and the maintenance of sanitary conditions is essential to ensure product safety and quality, and meet regulatory, industry, and global food safety standard requirement.

In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that more than 23 million people in Europe fall ill from eating contaminated food every year, resulting in 4654 deaths. Moreover, the use of contaminated equipment and utensils is one of the top five contributing causes to foodborne illness outbreaks. Key food safety hazards of public health concern are bacterial pathogens, allergens, chemicals, and extraneous foreign material – and consequently, sanitation methods and equipment capable of minimising the risk of these hazards are required.

Automated sanitation techniques such as CIP are not always foolproof: Sanitation involves the removal of visible debris from surfaces. The sanitation activity may be achieved in many ways, and a single sanitation method may involve overlaps of various sanitation activities:

Sanitation methods used in food manufacturing may range from being process-specific (CIP for sanitation of processing pipework and closed vessels) to the much simpler, process-agnostic manual cleaning involving the use of brushes, scrapers, squeegees, etc. 

CIP technology usually involves the automated sanitation of equipment parts, such as the interior of pipes, vessels, or fittings without disassembly. This is generally done by pumping chemicals at a set concentration, temperature, and pH through the system, for a controlled period, at a flow rate that generates turbulence, which provides the mechanical action required as part of the cleaning process in a closed system. 

Once all the cleaning parameters used by these automated systems have been determined and programmed in, cleaning is as easy as pressing a button. However, the biggest limitation of automated methods such as CIP cleaning is that the poor hygienic design of some equipment and surfaces – the presence of narrow, inaccessible spaces, or dead-end zones that allows contaminants to get trapped and be difficult to remove, doesn’t always allow for a thorough clean using the automated method.

Manual or tool-assisted mechanical cleaning therefore becomes a necessity.

CIP components, like valves, couplings, probes and sensor portals, and sampling ports require regular disassembly and manual cleaning, to ensure food safety and quality, and the on-going efficiency and effectiveness of the CIP clean.

Always clean surfaces before you disinfect: If food equipment and surfaces aren’t cleaned properly, microorganisms may survive and persist by secreting a slimy, extracellular polymeric substance that can enmesh other organisms, nutrients, moisture, and foreign materials to form a biofilm that can firmly attach to a surface. Manual cleaning is important for surface biofilm removal.

Proper cleaning of equipment and surfaces is the first step toward better overall sanitation in food processing plants. In a nutshell, regular CIP cleaning using turbulence and chemicals, must be supplemented, as appropriate, through periodic breakdown and deep cleaning of a system, using manual cleaning to remove surface biofilms. Manual cleaning will always be required, in addition to other cleaning methods, because there will always be hard-to-reach places where biofilms can form and only be effectively removed through manual cleaning.

Have a comprehensive risk-based plan that covers cleaning and disinfection of all environmental and equipment surfaces: For those surfaces not sufficiently covered by automated sanitation methods, manual cleaning may be the only option. Cleaning and disinfection of equipment and facility surfaces is usually not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ activity because there are since several factors that can influence how, when, and why to remove soil from a surface. This may involve creating a manual cleaning plan and selecting the right tools for the right job. For example, there will be different tool requirements for different locations of an equipment (generally not covered by the CIP process).

High level cleaning requires hook brushes, cleaning pads or scrapers, fitted with telescopic handles to reach ceilings, gantries, and areas above equipment or at a distance; low-level cleaning requires angled brooms and crevice brushes that can reach under and between equipment; while detailed cleaning requires the use of narrow brushes and scrapers to clean the hard-to-reach nooks and crannies of equipment.

Amit M. Kheradia is an Environmental Health and Sanitation Manager at Remco – a Vikan company; Deb Smith is a Global Hygiene Specialist at Vikan.


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