Cleaning of dried starch adhered to stainless steel using electrocleaning. Optimization of the experimental conditions

Abstract An electrocleaning device was used to study the cleaning of dried starch adhered to stainless steel. Different cleaning parameters such as voltage, temperature, cleaning time, pH of the washing solution, polarity and previous wetting time were studied in relation to cleaning efficiency. Optimal cleaning conditions, according to energy savings and cleaning efficiency criteria, were determined: 20 °C, NaOH aqueous solution (pH 13), soiled substrate connected to the cathode, direct current voltage of only 5 V and 20 min without a previous wetting time. Under these conditions, the detergency found for cleaning difficult-to-remove dry starch was 65.7 ± 3.4%. The detergency found by electrocleaning was 52% higher than without current. High detergency results were achieved in the electrocleaning device using lower temperature and less time than those normally used in the food industry.