Dairy Processing - January/February 2024 - 45

There are still areas that are
regularly using wet-cleaning methods
where we're seeing people shift
their attention to dry cleaning. "
Jesse Hines, Ecolab
He also raised the point that facility employees may learn
to appreciate a different approach to sanitation.
" Rather than removing unwanted material from the
processing environment, high water pressure can have the
unintended result of simply pushing soil, debris and bacteria
to other parts of the equipment or facility, " Casey said. " While
using water with high pressure sprayers might seem like an
easy solution to remove extra soil loads, the easy solution
could create further complications down the road. "
The pathogen control guidance document published by the
Innovation Center for US Dairy, Rosemont, Ill., notes that listeria
species and salmonella can survive for prolonged periods, but
don't grow in dry - or low water activity - environments. In dry
dairy production areas, the Innovation Center also points to a
key rule: " dry needs to stay dry. "
Tim Stubbs, senior vice president and food safety lead for
the Innovation Center, said one of his favorite analogies is
" when it rains in the desert, you see plants and flowers explode;
the same thing happens in a dry plant with microorganisms "
when water is introduced.
An added bonus that comes with dry cleaning processes,
Ecolab tells its customers, is tied to sustainability and
environmental goals. When making use of water-based cleaning
techniques, a dairy processor typically must use hot water that
gets heated through a boiler - and moving, heating and treating
that water requires the plant to expend energy.
Sustainability is also an area of consideration for operators.
Ecolab's experts stated that by leveraging dry cleaning instead
of water, dairy processors can potentially reduce energy
consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption,
issues which plague the industry.
Ecolab recommends that dairy processors work with
suppliers who can help assess the needs of an entire facility
comprehensively to determine what type of cleaning and
treatment programs work best.
" Dry cleaning processes are already very common in certain
areas of dairy processing facilities, especially those that dry and
blend powders, like infant formula manufacturers, " Hines added.
OPTIMAL PROCEDURES
Casey expressed that " any dairy product " would benefit
from avoiding the use of water during the equipment
DAIRYPROCESSING.COM | JAN-FEB 2024 45
cleaning process, while the production of powdered
milk, coffee creamer, cheese whey, ice cream and instant
breakfast mix were among the first to come to mind.
He noted that best practices associated with dry
cleaning in a facility include " high quality cleaning products,
appropriate dry time of the equipment, proper PPE (personal
protective equipment) and ensuring a safe work environment
while performing the cleaning. "
And as Hines said, " There are no shortcuts when it comes to
creating an effective dry cleaning program in a dairy plant. "
Best practices have to start at the top of a business, Hines
added, with a strong food safety culture, high levels of technical
expertise and the right tools to properly execute the program.
" Furthermore, effective rollout requires sanitary design,
knowledge of zoning limitations and effective controls over air
flow and humidity, " he said. " Properly executed risk assessments
and master sanitation schedules are key, as well. "
Per the Innovation Center's guidelines, normal daily
©Lumos, Syda Productions-stock.adobe.com
http://www.DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
Dairy Processing - January/February 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dairy Processing - January/February 2024
