Food Safety Magazine, April/May 2011

Figure 1: Otherwise Clean Equipment with Biofilm Reacting to 3% H2O2

use solution flow under pressure as the
mechanical action to remove soils on
the equipment being cleaned. The need
for manual scrubbing is less necessary
with these two cleaning processes, but it
should be noted that when using the
CIP method to clean equipment, some
manual scrubbing may also be necessary
form yet another biofilm. Not only that,
the biofilm could also be transferred to
finished product, causing spoilage and
potential food safety issues. The best
tool in removal of biofilms is
prevention.

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(Figure 2). Some items like pumps, gaskets, clamps and other components that are not cleaned by the turbulent solution flow may require additional cleaning. To break the strong bonds of a biofilm, manual cleaning is an absolute neccessity. The act of brushing, scrubbing or scraping helps in releasing any bacterial cells from the surface and makes them less resistant to the action of chemicals.

As biofilms mature, segments of the microbial colony can become dislodged from the original colony where they can be transported to other sections of the production equipment. When this occurs, the cycle starts all over again.

Those cells can become attached to new
locations on the equipment surface,
where they can regenerate, multiply and
potential recalls and unnecessary food
safety risks. Avoiding these problems
helps to mitigate risk and improves a
company’s bottom line. n

Figure 2: Comparison between COP- and CIP-balanced Sanitation and Manual Cleaning

Graduate certi;cate in agricultural biosecurity

Gloryann Mejias-Sarceno has worked in food manufacturing for 14 years. She has experience with HACCP systems, HIMP-pork slaughter, food safety programs, sanitation, quality systems and food plant production. She is currently a sanitation/set-up manager at Wells Enterprises, Inc.