Baking & Snack - June 2017 - 126

SANITATION STRATEGIES
Joe Stout
joe.stout@cf-san.com

vs.
Bakers must know when to use either one or a
combination of both for sanitary operations.
In my last column, I commented on the challenge
of cleaning in the baking industry. Simply put, there
is a war on water that focuses heavily on, unless absolutely necessary, reducing or stopping its use for
cleaning in dry facilities. The use or presence of water
is a significant risk for salmonella growth and crosscontamination. If present, water allows for pathogen
growth and is an excellent and efficient way to spread
them throughout a facility.
The war on water focuses on eliminating it in sensitive dry and potential risk areas that contribute to a
wet environment such as roof leaks, leaking valves/
pipes, condensation or aerosols from the use of water
hoses in adjacent areas.
Here are several scenarios of dry cleaning and sanitizing approaches along with what is known as a combination method of cleaning - using wet and dry
techniques while providing minimal water or moisture for microbial growth.
For dry cleaning, plants can use vacuum cleaning with Hepa air filtration on the air discharge side,
scrapers, brushes to collect soil and dust, dry floor
push mops, a food contact alcohol-based sanitizer, alcohol to provide lubricity to collect soil with a wiper,
dry or low-moisture steam, pelletized CO2 blasting,
and sodium bicarbonate blasting.
Dry sanitizing can vary based on different areas
of a plant. For food contact surfaces, or Zone 1 ar-

126 Baking & Snack June 2017 / www.bakingandsnack.com

eas according to the Food Safety Modernization Act,
dry sanitizers can be used following the dry-cleaning
techniques mentioned above. The best approach is to
use a high-percentage isopropyl alcohol (IPA), about
60%, and quaternary ammonia sanitizer. IPA helps
drive off moisture, if present, and can be applied on
a wiper or with dispensing equipment where it is propelled by CO2.
For Zones 2-4 - everything from equipment
next to food contact surfaces to outside the factory
- there are several options. For floor controls that
provide pathogen control in dry ready-to-eat (RTE)
areas, I recommend the use of alkaline peroxide dry
powder for application in trouble spots or transition
areas where a "hurdle" is needed. Effective formulations include a high percentage of percarbonate in the
90% range. The American Meat Institute sponsored a
study years ago that showed percarbonate more effective than powered quaternary ammonia compounds.
To clean a conveyance belt for the removal of allergens without the use of water, dry clean the belt
with scraper and vacuum. Then apply an alcoholbased contact surface sanitizer with a spray or on a
wiper for lubricity to easily remove soil. Following
the cleaning procedure, use a residual protein, allergen or lateral flow test kit to verify effectiveness and
provide ongoing surveillance to ensure its effectiveness. Repeat with the same chemical for sanitization.

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Baking & Snack - June 2017

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