Are You Wash-Down Certified?
Dated: 1 February 2006
BY VALERIE BURKE LOVESHAW
Maintaining a pristine production and packaging environment is mission-critical. Learn why stainless steel is the industry standard.
Unsanitary food and beverage manufacturing can be disastrous to public health. Not to mention the impact of a contaminated food or beverage product recall on a company’s reputation and sales—the average cost of a product recall is upwards of $540,000.
Globalization, international trade, new regulations, and increased consumer demand for safer products have pushed the food and beverage industry worldwide to create and standardize improved safety practices. In addition, a report by Industrial & Institutional Cleaning Chemicals (I&ICC) shows that disinfectants and sanitizers are expected to record the fastest growth amongst industrial and institutional cleaning chemical types through 2008. I&ICC predict that gains will be driven by heightened health and safety concerns over the spread of infections diseases and risks associated with food-borne pathogens.
It’s easy to see why food manufacturers have set the standard for cleanliness in industry. One of the key features that they look for when purchasing processing and packaging equipment is that it is 100% “wash-down certified.”
In many food processing plants, especially meat packaging, “washdown” means the equipment must withstand a rigorous cleaning process, which entails using hot (minimum 60°C), high-pressure (up to 1000 psi) water sprays; and caustic, acid-based detergents dispensed through spray and foam systems, in addition to hand cleaning. “Ease of cleaning and durability are top priorities when we select equipment to purchase,” explains Mark Nouvel, director of poultry engineering for Gold Kist. (Gold Kist processes more than 14 million chickens a week.)
What makes equipment wash-down certified?
The main criterion for wash-down certified packaging equipment is stainless steel construction. Some equipment manufacturers claim their products are “wash-down,” when only some parts, if any, of the equipment is fabricated out of stainless steel. More commonly, the equipment is constructed from substandard, albeit economical, aluminium.
In contrast to anodized aluminium, stainless steel resists corrosion and localized chloride attacks from both cleaning agents and aggressive ingredients, such as high levels of chloride salts and high acid contents like those found in tomato paste and ketchup. Stainless steel can be electro-polished for a uniquely flat, mirror-like surface. James Fritz, PhD in Corrosion Engineering and NACE-certified Materials Selection Design Specialist from TMR Stainless explains, “This process levels the microscopic highs and lows on the surface of the metal and results in very low Ra values (i.e. roughness). A smoother surface is clinically cleaner because bacteria have little to cling to on the surface of the metal.”
Easy to Clean
There’s a direct correlation between ease of cleaning and productivity—the easier it is to clean and sterilize plant processing and packaging equipment, the more productive the plant.
Whether it comes in direct contact with food or only indirect contact, all processing and packaging equipment must be cleaned frequently—often at the end of every line change, shift, and workday. Depending on the size of the plant, type of food produced, and number of shifts, this could add up to 15 to 20 hours or more of mandatory cleaning each week.
The ability to clean in place is another important characteristic for food equipment. “With stainless steels, standard CIP solutions and procedures can be used,” says Fritz. “It takes less time and effort to clean stainless steel equipment in place—plus aluminium would be less resistant to some of the standard solutions used for CIP,” he adds.
Durable for a Long Life
Another advantage of stainless steel over aluminium is strength. According to Jack McGurn, technical consultant for the Nickel Institute, “An aluminium alloy like 1100, which is a common marketplace alloy, would have a yield-strength of 5,000 pounds per square inch versus an equivalent stainless steel alloy like 304, which is commonly used in the food industry. Type 316 is considered where the threat of pitting is possible. Both alloys have a yield-strength of about 30,000 pounds per square inch,” explains McGurn.
Ease of cleaning and durability are top priorities when we select equipment to purchase. -Mark Nouvel, director of poultry engineering, Gold Kist.
Due to its lower strength, the surface of aluminium alloys is more vulnerable to scrapes, dents, and nicks which can be more difficult to clean, and serve as initiation sites for corrosive attack by cleaning agents. If the cleaning agent or ingredient penetrates the normal protective oxides of the metal, bare metal is exposed and there is an increased likelihood for further pitting of the metal. “Once pitting occurs, catastrophic corrosion starts and the metal will deteriorate. It may absorb dangerous bacteria and pathogens from the food, and metallic ions from the alloy will contaminate any food products that come in contact with the equipment,” says McGurn.
In a technical brief (NiDI Technical Series #10 079) from the Nickel Development Institute entitled ‘Sanitation of stainless steel and other food preparation surfaces’, it states “the inherent mechanical strength and resistance to surface damage exhibited by stainless steel makes it a superior material when effective cleaning and sanitizing are a high priority during its use.” Another related technical brief (NiDI Technical Series #10 046) from the Nickel Development Institute and reprinted in The Journal of Applied Bacteriology concludes “stainless steel, although not as cleanable as glass or china, is more cleanable than aluminium.”
Overall, the life cycle cost advantages of stainless steel over aluminium outweigh the incremental additional cost. When it comes to wash-down applications, Gold Kist prefers stainless. If aluminium is involved, sometimes there are problems, plus costly, OEM-specific cleaning agents are required. Over time, aluminium corrodes no matter what you do and it must be replaced; while stainless steel can last beyond a line’s life expectancy.
Satisfies the Strictest Requirements
Stainless steel has increased in volume every year for the last decade or more—and not just because it’s easier to clean in industrial environments. “It’s the metal of choice,” says Fritz. “It’s durable, easy to clean and maintain, easily fabricated, recyclable, approved by most governing agencies, and—let’s face it—more aesthetically pleasing. It just looks cleaner.”
Most companies’ customers are the driving force behind their purchasing decisions. Even for equipment that has little-to-no direct contact with foodstuff, it’s vital to present a good image to customers, demonstrating that the company is doing everything it can to put forth as hygienic a product as possible.
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