FATTY SOILS REMOVAL FROM HARD SURFACES IN A CLEAN-IN-PLACE SYSTEM

• Published in: Journal of food process engineering Vol. 34; no. 4; pp. 1053 - 1070
• Main Authors: JURADO ALAMEDA, ENCARNACIÓN, BRAVO RODRIGUEZ, VICENTE, BAILÓN MORENO, RAFAEL, NÚÑEZ OLEA, JOSEFA, VAZ, DEISI ALTMAJER
• Format: Magazine Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malden, USA Blackwell Publishing Inc 01.08.2011
• Subjects: Cleaning; Foods; Mathematical analysis; Mathematical models; Microorganisms; Soils; Surfactants; Washing
• ISSN: 0145-8876; 1745-4530
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-4530.2009.00527.x

ABSTRACT The kinetics of fatty soil removal from glass surfaces using nonionic biodegradable surfactants has been investigated. For this, mathematical models have been developed, which take into account the equilibrium established between the processes of soil removal from the substrate surface and their subsequent redeposition. The washing tests have been conducted in a continuous‐flow device that simulates the conditions found in the clean‐in‐place system used in the food industry. A mixture of fatty acids (oleic, palmitic and stearic) frequently found in foods, and particularly difficult to remove, was used as the soiling agent. The experimental results show the effect of the different variables assayed (temperature, soiling‐agent concentration and surfactant concentration) on the washing process. The good agreement between the experimental detergency values and those predicted by the kinetic model indicate that this is adequate to explain the detersive process on hard surfaces. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS In food industry, production lines are cleaned in place every day to provide the microbial quality and safety of the products. Moreover, the effectiveness of the cleaning process depends on many factors: temperature, detergent concentrations, hydrodynamic forces, characteristics of substrate, etc. In this work, we have studied the kinetics of the washing process using alkylpolyglucosides and fatty alcohol ethoxylates, both commercial surfactants. The tests were performed in a laboratory device that simulates the clean‐in‐place processes widely used in food industries. A mixture of fatty acids commonly found in foods was used as the soiling agent. A kinetic model assuming a process combining removal and deposition during the cleaning was developed. This model, which satisfactorily predicts the detergency data obtained under different experimental conditions, could be of great practical utility since it can help develop more effective detergent formulations.