Dairy Processing Plant Sanitation

Plant layout and construction affect microbial contamination and overall wholesomeness of the product. It is especially important to ensure that clean air and water are available and that surfaces in contact with dairy foods do not react with the products. Soils that are found in dairy plants include minerals, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, water, dust, lubricants, cleaning compounds, sanitizers, and microorganisms. Effective sanitation practices can reduce soil deposition and effectively remove soil and microorganisms through the optimal combination of chemical and mechanical energy and sanitizers. This condition is accomplished through the appropriate selection of clean water, cleaning compounds, cleaning and sanitizing equipment, and sanitizers for each cleaning application. A current trend has been toward modification of cleaning-in-place (CIP) systems to permit final rinses to be utilized as makeup water for the cleaning solution of the following cleaning cycle and to segregate and recover initial product-water rinses to minimize waste discharges. Every processing facility should verify the effectiveness of its cleaning and sanitation program through daily microbial analyses of both product and various equipment and areas. Recent advances in technology have allowed tracking of cleaners and sanitizers in the CIP system. In addition, current computer, sensor, and traced chemistry technology allows real-time understanding of concentration in CIP systems so that system variation can be monitored and corrective actions can be taken.