Sanitary Equipment Design in Food Processing Market

 Equipment used to process and handle food products must be designed, built, constructed, and installed according to solid sanitary design principles to assure safe food and proper sanitation procedures.  This ensures that the equipment can be cleaned and sanitised properly, and that the surfaces are resistant to corrosive food items and cleaning/sanitizing chemicals on a daily basis. It is impossible to clean and sanitise equipment that does not follow basic sanitary design principles, or that has been installed or operated incorrectly.

Equipment Standards and Design Criteria

Food equipment is routinely inspected by federal, state, and municipal regulatory bodies for general hygienic fabrication, construction, and design, as well as correct installation. The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) pre-approves equipment for use in meat, poultry, and egg processing plants.  Similarly, the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)/Dairy Division has a clearance process for equipment used in manufactured dairy facilities that come under their scrutiny.

Inspectors from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) follow Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs), which cover the fabrication and cleanliness of food equipment. In addition, for equipment used in Grade A Dairy Facilities, the FDA has developed a generic equipment evaluation procedure.

A number of standards bodies have created guidelines for the sanitary fabrication, construction, and design of food equipment. While there are minor variances between these standards, the major goal of each organisation is to ensure that sound hygienic principles are followed in the manufacturing of food equipment.   A number of standards bodies have created guidelines for the sanitary fabrication, construction, and design of food equipment. While there are minor variances between these standards, the major goal of each organisation is to ensure that sound hygienic principles are followed in the manufacturing of food equipment.

3A Sanitary Standards have been produced for a variety of dairy sector equipment, as well as some egg processing equipment. Equipment makers, dairy processors, and regulatory officials are all represented by 3A's founding organisations. The Grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO), the official regulation document for the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments, uses 3A Standards as a reference (NCIMS). 3-A Sanitary Standards may be imposed by a variety of state and local laws[3].

General Aspects of Sanitary Construction and Food Equipment Design

Food equipment surfaces can be split into two categories:

1. Food product contact surfaces

2. Non-product contact surfaces.

A surface in "direct touch with food residue, or where food residue can drip, drain, disperse, or be drawn" is characterized as a food product contact surface. Because contaminated surfaces might lead to food product contamination, strict sanitary design guidelines must be followed. Surfaces that do not come into direct contact with food are known as non-product contact surfaces. Non-product touch surfaces cannot be overlooked when it comes to sanitary design since contamination of these surfaces might lead to indirect contamination of the food product.

 Materials

For various uses in food equipment, a range of materials are employed in the building and manufacture. The attributes of these materials differ in terms of workability, compatibility, and hygienic design elements. Various metals and non-metals are utilized depending on the application.

Non-metals

In certain applications of food equipment, a range of non-metal materials are employed as food contact surfaces. When used in these applications, these materials should meet the same hygienic design and cleanability requirements as metals, as stated in 3 A Sanitary Standards and other standards. Because non-metal surfaces lack the corrosion resistance and durability of metal surfaces, maintenance programmes should include regular inspections for wear and deterioration, as well as replacement as needed.

Construction and Fabrication

Sharp corners and fissures should be avoided on all food contact surfaces when designing and fabricating food equipment. In addition, all mating surfaces must be continuous. All food handling or processing equipment should be designed to be disassembled easily for cleaning and inspection. Equipment should be self-draining and pitched to a drainable port with no opportunity for food materials or solutions to become stuck.

Food Equipment Installation

To avoid cross-contamination, food equipment should be put in a logical order. There should be enough space around and between equipment, as well as between equipment and walls, to allow for adequate cleaning.

References

Bilgili, S. F. (2006). Sanitary/hygienic processing equipment design. World's Poultry Science Journal, 62(1), 115-122.

Rankin, S. A., Bradley, R. L., Miller, G., & Mildenhall, K. B. (2017). A 100-Year Review: A century of dairy processing advancements—Pasteurization, cleaning and sanitation, and sanitary equipment design. Journal of dairy science, 100(12), 9903-9915.

Schmidt, R. H., & Erickson, D. J. (2006). Sanitary design and construction of food equipment. EDIS, 2005(5).

DESIGN, P. R. F. H. Sanitary guarantees.

Marriott, N. G., Schilling, M. W., & Gravani, R. B. (2018). Sanitary Design and Construction for Food Processing. In Principles of Food Sanitation (pp. 267-278). Springer, Cham.

Bernardi, A. O., Stefanello, A., Garcia, M. V., & Copetti, M. V. (2021). The control of cheese and meat product spoilage fungi by sanitizers: In vitro testing and food industry usage. LWT, 144, 111204.