Types of Detergents and Sanitizers

The cleaning and sanitizing of dairy plant equipment is essential for providing safe dairy products to the consumers as well as for ensuring the keeping quality of these products. Cleaning operations have been followed ever since processing food has been known. Only the scale of operation and the ingredients used have changed with alterations in the type of food, the quality expected and the kind of equipment used. Earlier, the traditional detergents and their methods of use were aimed at providing only satisfactory cleaning. As the function of specific chemicals and the contribution of other factors were made known along with improvements in plant design, detergent handling and control was also made an important research topic.As a result, detergents and sanitizers gradually improved, leading to the high standards expected and obtainable today.

Cleaning is the process of removing any extraneous matter (including dust, dirt,particles from the food handled) adhering to the equipment surface with the help of a suitable detergent and water. Thus, cleaning agents are materials that help to remove dirt from equipment surfaces and keep them visibly clean.

Sanitization is the process of reducing microorganisms to a level acceptable by public health authorities in terms of destruction of pathogens and minimizing other microflora. Therefore, sanitizers are agents that reduce microbiological contamination to levels conforming to public health requirements.