Washing products in food industry
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1. OBJECTIVE
This section applies to washing the product only, not washing the process plant.
The objective of washing is to remove and separate unwanted components (dirt or residual peel, brine used for preservation) from the food in order to ensure that the surface of the food is in a suitable condition for further processing. Unwanted components can include soil, micro-organisms, pesticide residues, salts, etc (BAT in the Food, Drink and Milk Industries, June 2005).
2. FIELD OF APPLICATION
Washing is widely applied as a first processing step for root crops, potatoes, cereals, fruits and vegetables (BAT in the Food, Drink and Milk Industries, June 2005).
3. DESCRIPTION OF TECHNIQUES, METHODS AND EQUIPMENT
There are many types of machines and systems that have been adapted for the material to be cleaned.
Washing can be carried out by vigorous spraying with water, or by immersion with the aid of brushes, or by shaking and stirring. Sometimes cleaning substances are added. Warm water may be used but this might accelerate chemical and microbiological spoilage unless careful control of the washing time and process is carried out (BAT in the Food, Drink and Milk Industries, June 2005).
The dirt, once loosened, usually differs so greatly from the product that the actual separation of dirt and product is normally straightforward (for example by sedimentation). Semi-processed vegetables may arrive at the plant kept in strong brines, in this case the excess salt needs to be eliminated by rinsing with running water (BAT in the Food, Drink and Milk Industries, June 2005).
4. COMPETITIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND ENERGY SAVING POTENTIALS
- a) Changes in the process
No information is available.
- b) Changes in the energy distribution system
- Use of hot water-Waste water recycling: (BAT in the Food, Drink and Milk Industries, June 2005)
- During washing operations hot water can be used to increase the speed and efficiency of the washing. In order to reduce the energy consumption most companies do not heat the water. Sometimes hot residual water from the blanching system is used for washing.
- c) Changes in the heat supply system
No information is available.
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