Sanitation is an
important part of any processing operation.
It is the very basis of any establishment’s HACCP plan. It is a must for producing a high quality
safe product. There are many
considerations when developing, implementing and assessing the effectiveness of
any sanitation program.
Cleaning and
sanitizing is an important prerequisite program for food safety in any
foodservice operation. Foodservice employees who follow proper cleaning and
sanitizing practices reduce the risk of cross contamination that can lead to
food-borne illness.
Detailed
procedures must be
developed for
all food-product
contact surfaces
(equipment, utensils, etc.) as well as for non-product surfaces such as:
non-product portions of equipment, overhead structures, shield, walls,
ceilings, lighting devices, refrigeration units, heating, ventilation and air
conditioning (HVAC) systems, and anything else which could impact food safety.
Clean and
sanitize work surfaces, equipment, and other food contact surfaces using
proper
procedures.
1.Follow state and
local health department requirements.
2.Follow manufacturer’s
instructions regarding the use and cleaning of equipment.
3.Follow manufacturer’s
instructions regarding the use of chemicals for cleaning and sanitizing food
contact surfaces.
4.Refer to the Material
Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) provided by the manufacturer if you have questions
about the use of specific chemicals.
5.Wash, rinse, and
sanitize food contact surfaces of sinks, tables, equipment, utensils,
thermometers, carts, and equipment :
Øbefore each use.
Øbetween uses when
preparing different types of raw animal foods such as eggs, fish, meat and
poultry.
Øbetween uses when
preparing ready-to-eat foods and raw animal foods such as eggs, fish, meat and
poultry.
Øany time contamination
occurs or is suspected.
6.Wash, rinse, and
sanitize food contact surfaces using the following procedures:
ü Wash surface with
detergent solution to clean.
ü Rinse surface with
clean water to remove debris and
detergent.
ü Sanitize surface
using a sanitizing solution mixed at the concentration specified on the
manufacturer’s label.
ü Allow items to air
dry.
Take corrective action to make sure that cleaning and
sanitizing is done properly.
•
Wash, rinse, and sanitize dirty food contact surfaces.
•
Sanitize food contact surfaces if it cannot be determined if they have been
sanitized properly.
•
Discard food that comes in contact with food contact surfaces that have not
been sanitized properly.
CLEANING AND SANITIZING VALIDATION
q Cleaning and
sanitizing procedures should be regularly monitored for effectiveness.
üPre-operational
inspections or audits
üMicrobial sampling of
the environment or of food contact surfaces
q Establish criteria
to be met :
üNo visible residue
present
üMicro counts within
acceptable limits
Validation Methods
What
everyone can do:
ü Visual Inspection
(Best Verification Method)
Surface
appearance: visible debris, soil build-up, color of equipment surface (white
films, stains, etc.), biological growth (i.e., mold) and odor.
üUse simple tools:
CHARACTERISTICS OF FOOD SOILS
Soil is any unwanted matter on the surface of an object
that one desires to be clean.
Soil may be classified as visible and invisible, the
latter category being primarily microorganisms, such as bacteria, yeasts, and
molds.
Soil is best identified by characteristics that give
information on how it may be dissolved, because the object of cleaning is to
dissolve or to suspend soil and then to wash it away.
What are Biofilms?
A collection of microorganisms, mainly bacteria, growing
together in a matrix of polymers secreted by the microorganisms.
Physical Characteristics of Soil
The type
of surface to be cleaned affects the type of soil that collects and how it is
removed. Soil is difficult to remove
from cracks, crevices and other uneven surfaces. It is easiest to remove soil from smooth hard
nonporous surfaces.
Sanitizing Food Contact Surfaces
üSanitizing can be
done with heat or with chemicals.
üSanitizing does not
affect bacterial spores—that is beyond the capability of the process.
üA sanitizer will not
sterilize a food-contact surface or a water system.
üSterilization refers
to the statistical destruction and removal of all living organisms, including
spores.
üThe official
definition of sanitizing for food product contact surfaces is a process which
reduces the contamination level by 99.999% (5 logs) in 30 sec.
üDisinfectants are
stronger chemicals that produce a much larger reduction of microorganisms. They
are generally not used in food applications.
Chemical Based Sanitizing
The most
commonly used sanitizers in food applications are chlorine gas, sodium or
calcium hypochlorite, and organic chlorine (Sodium Dichloroisocyanurate).
Chlorine
Chlorine
has some advantages and disadvantages, as do all types of sanitizers. The
principal disadvantage of most chlorine-based sanitizers is instability. They
are affected by the acidity of the water in which they are diluted.
Broad Spectrum
when
applied to a sanitizer means that it will attack a wide variety of different types of microorganisms,
including gram-positive bacteria (Listeria and Staphylococcus), gram negative bacteria (E. coli
and Salmonella), viruses, fungi (both yeasts and molds), as well as many
parasites. Broad-spectrum germicides act on
microbial membranes, cellular enzymes, DNA, and protein.
Iodine-based sanitizers
Have been used as
antimicrobial agents since the 1800s and have
a broad spectrum of activity They are a powerful sanitizer in strong
acidic aqueous solutions. They are
generally used at 12.5 to 25 ppm available iodine, and can cause staining on some
surfaces, especially plastics.
Summary
Cleaning
operations consist of four steps—pre-rinse, cleaning, post-rinse and
sanitizing. Most cleaning compounds used in the food industry are blended
products. The type of surface to be cleaned affects the type of soil that
collects and how it is removed. The type
of soil determines which cleaning compound can be used most effectively. It is important to select the correct
cleaning compound to remove a specific type of soil. Manufacturers combine ingredients to make a
specific product for a particular type of surface or dirt. Sanitizers are used
immediately after cleaning to reduce pathogenic and spoilage organisms on
equipment. Any soil deposits remaining
on the equipment after cleaning can reduce the effectiveness of a sanitizer
through a dilution effect and reaction of the organic material in the soil with
the sanitizing compound. Sanitizer work
best when they are used at the appropriate temperature for the surface being
sanitized and used at the appropriate strength.
Exercise
1.What is the word of sanitizing refers to?
2.What is the importance of sanitizing?
3.Please indicate three (3) basic steps of sanitizing.
4.Explain the objective of cleaning and sanitizing food
contact surfaces.
5.Why Is Effective Cleaning and Sanitizing So Important?
6.How does effective cleaning and sanitizing being done?
7.Define food soil.
8.Indicate three (3) steps to remove soils from surfaces.
9.Indicate three types of sanitizing processes.
10.Identify types of chemical sanitizers which is normally
used in foodservice sanitization process.
REFERENCES
1.Guthrie, Rufus
K. 1983.
Food Sanitation. 2nd Edition. AVI Publishing Company, Inc., Westport,
Connecticut.
2.Marriott, Norman
G. 1997.
Essentials of Food Sanitation.
Chapman & Hall, International Thomson Publishing, New York, NY.
3.Marriott, Norman
G. 1989.
Principles of Food Sanitation.
2nd Edition. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York,
NY.
4.www.merriam-wehsler.com
5.National Food Service
Management Institute
6.Effective Cleaning
& Sanitizing Procedures, Alan Parker, Copyright © 2007 University of
Maryland and the JohnsonDiversey Corporation.
7.Joint Institute for
Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
