Produce more sustainably, safely, and cost-effectively
Hygiene is a top priority in the food industry. Every company that prepares, processes, transports, packages, or stores food must comply with strict guidelines. Take a look at the options for using UVC or air ionisation to make your production environment more hygienic.
The air in a processing or storage area can contain countless bacteria, fungi, and viruses – even after passing through a filter installation. Most filters are not designed to combat microorganisms and the effectiveness of HEPA filters in humid conditions is questionable.
UVC air disinfection can provide added value.
Surface contact is one of the most common causes of bacterial food contamination. Interim cleaning and disinfection means that the production process has to be stopped, which is not ideal.
UVC light can disinfect a conveyor belt during the production process, keeping the germ count low during the day and reducing the risk of cross-contamination.
UVC light is a simple method to increase quality and reduce risk, but regular cleaning is still necessary.
Dutch tap water is very clean, but it can sometimes make sense to disinfect it before using it in your production process, especially if the water has to travel long distances through your building or is stored in a break tank. You can choose between a KIWA certified flow-through system from 0.5m3/hour or an immersion system in a tank.
All-round disinfection in a UVC tunnel
Packaging or the outside of food can contain many bacteria and mould, microorganisms that only show themselves later.
A UVC tunnel helps you prevent that from happening. Providing all-round disinfection for packaging or food with UVC light renders any microorganisms on the surface of the materials harmless. It's a process step that can be validated and helps reduce the risks of contamination.
Campylobacter is the most common cause of bacterial food infections in the Netherlands and other EU countries, closely followed by salmonella. Spots 3 and 4 go to the Escheria coli bacterium - including the EHEC bacterium - and Listeria Monocytogenes, respectively. The severity of food-borne infections caused by these bacteria varies. Unfortunately, there are fatalities every year in the Netherlands due to these infections. Very young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with a compromised immune system are particularly vulnerable.
Soft, raw milk cheeses (52%), fermented and non-fermented sausages (42%) and smoked and/or cooked hams (6%) are the three main sources of Listeria contamination in food products. To a lesser extent, raw and smoked fish, sushi, raw milk, ice cream, raw vegetables, tempé and tofu can also be a source of infection. Listeria is quite resistant to freezing, dehydration, and heat and can still reproduce at temperatures as low as 0°C, which means it can continue to multiply, even in cold-stored food.
E. coli is a bacteria that occurs naturally in animal and human intestines, where it provides protection against other harmful bacteria. There are some types of E. coli that cause a food infection. These types can occur on raw meat, raw vegetables and raw milk products. Infection can be prevented by working hygienically and baking meat well.
In total there are 2695 Salmonella species. Most Salmonella's cause Salmonellosis in humans, better known as 'stomach flu'. The severity of the stomach flu depends on the type of Salmonella and individual susceptibility. The incubation time for Salmonella is 12 to 36 hours. Possible sources of Salmonella infection in our country include eggs and egg products (22%), pork and pork products (22%), beef and beef products (13%), and chicken and chicken products (13%). Fish, shellfish, raw milk, milk products, vegetables, sprouting vegetables such as bean sprouts and cress, and ice can also be sources of Salmonella infection, albeit to a lesser extent.
Are you aware of all the problems and challenges around hygiene and the available solutions? The 'common denominator' of all the bacteria in the top four listed above is that they are common, but easy to kill with UVC. Bioclimatic is the premier specialist in sustainable hygiene solutions such as air purification, surface, and water disinfection.