Microbial food processing equipment

As more restrictions on product preservatives have been set in the last 10 years, more instances of microbial contamination have appeared and liquid detergent process equipment and operations have approached those used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Process equipment is being installed to a more sanitary level, which means easier to clean and disinfect. Predominantly the equipment is designed for cleaning in place (CIP) without the need to disassemble. This chiefly means that surfaces are polished, circulation dead spaces are avoided, and drainage is virtually perfect. Usually the equipment is washed with alkaline and acid solutions, and then with a disinfectant solution. Additional equipment to handle and recirculate disinfectant solutions becomes part of the system design. 

One of the reasons why it is important to remove suspended solids in water is that the particles can act as a source of food and housing for bacteria. Not only does this make microbiological control much harder but, high bacteria levels increase the fouling of distribution lines and especially heat transfer equipment that receive processed waters (for example, in one s household hot water heater). The removal of suspended contaminants enables chemical treatments to be at their primary jobs of scale and corrosion prevention and microbial control. 

Equipment and processes for thermal preservation depend on the physical form ol the food and its pll. Foods having a pH < 4.5 often can be sterilized, for commercial purposes, at or near a temperature of I00°C. Commercial sterility lor these products means lhat the product will not spoil owing to microbial growth as long as the pH remains at or below 4.5 The spores of Bacillus <-oagulans are an important exception. This latter microbe is found in tomato products, and these products are often adjusted lo a pH of 4.0 or lower, or given an additional heal treatment. 

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