Cleaning Technology of Draft Beer Filling Machines
Nowadays, the competition in the beer market is fierce, and the fresh flavor of draft beer produced by membrane filtration is favored by consumers. How to prevent microbial contamination in the filling process of draft beer is a key concern of technicians. Microbes are characterized by rapid reproduction, which can quickly adapt to reproduction in the hidden parts of the equipment, forming a sanitary corner and being difficult to clean thoroughly. Microbiological management is a long-term and arduous task, and it is particularly important to strictly control the hygiene and cleaning work in all areas of beer filling equipment. This article studies the equipment cleaning control of optimizing the filling process.
CIP Tank Cleaning
CIP in-situ cleaning system of beer filling machines includes chlorine water tanks, hot water tanks, alkali tanks and their pipelines, which provide support for the cleaning of the filling machine. The sanitary condition of the CIP system directly affects the cleaning effect of the equipment and indirectly affects the microbial residue of the filling machine after cleaning. Therefore, it is the prerequisite and necessary condition for the microorganism of the filling machine to reach the standard to prove that the sanitary quality of the CIP system meets the technological requirements.
In the CIP system, the alkali tank is mainly in contact with alkali liquor (NaOH) and water, which will accumulate scale after long-term use. In the case of long-term non-use during the shutdown period, it is easy to breed microorganisms in the tank. Therefore, it is required to carry out alkaline washing and heating water washing once a month to remove the general scale and sterilize the tank body. Acid washing should be arranged for the tank body every six months to remove the inorganic salt scale attached to the inner wall of the tank body and ensure that the tank body is clean. At the same time, regularly observe the sanitary conditions of the CIP tank inner wall, shot balls and surrounding areas. If the scale is found in the tank during the daily inspection, acid washing shall be carried out immediately, so as to prevent the phenomenon that the cleaning microorganisms of the filling machine are not up to standard due to the internal sanitary problems of the CIP system. The sampling ports of a hot water tank and chlorine water tank are exposed, and they are in direct contact with dust and microorganisms in the air, which are easy to breed microorganisms, and may pollute the water stored in the tank, thus polluting the filling machine during cleaning. Water samples may be polluted due to incomplete sterilization during sampling for microbial detection. Therefore, the sanitary maintenance of the sampling port is also particularly important. In order to ensure the hygiene of the sampling port, it is effective to prevent the sampling port from being contaminated by microorganisms by disassembling and washing the sampling port and soaking in peracetic acid disinfectant before each big wash.
Filling Machine Cleaning
In order to ensure the biological stability of draft beer, and keep the flavor and taste of beer in the optimal state within the given shelf life, the cleaning of the beer filling machine is the most important task.
1. Alkali Cleaning Process of Canning Machines
Rinse with sterile water at room temperature until there is no residual liquid → hot alkali circulation cleaning → hot water flushing to neutrality → hot water circulation sterilization → normal temperature sterile water flushing until the temperature ≤30℃. The valve and cylinder are in direct contact with the liquor, and the main components in beer are hops, sugar, alcohol, protein and polyphenols. The valve and cylinder are in contact with liquor for a long time, and it is easy to form scales attached to the wall. NaOH lye has a good cleaning effect on such scales. However, if the liquor and cleaning water are mixed and remained in the dead corner where cleaning is not in place, it is easy to breed bacteria, and the substances such as protein in the wine gurgling make the microbes multiply faster, which is not conducive to the microbial control and management of the filling machine. Under the operation of conventional process requirements, when microorganisms in the cleaning water of wine machines suddenly and continuously fail to meet the requirements, it is an important way to disassemble the wine inspection valve to check the internal hygiene of the wine cylinder. It is found that the inner wall of the wine cylinder is yellow, which is suspected of scaling. Therefore, it is preliminarily determined that the dirt accumulated in the wine cylinder for a long time affects the hygiene of the wine machine. It is necessary to use the method of soaking weak alkali (alkali concentration ≤0.5%) when stopping production to soften the wine. After soaking in alkali, check the internal hygiene of the wine tank of the wine machine, and regenerate during production. Trace the microorganisms in the washing water of wine machines, and the results are as follows.
From the data in the table above, it can be seen that the microorganisms in alkali washing after soaking in alkali during the shutdown period have improved somewhat, but more microorganisms can still be detected. It may be that microorganisms have some resistance to the environment with a high PH. So for the operation of soaking alkali, there is no microorganism that can completely remove the dead corners inside the wine jar.
2. Pickling Fillers
Combined with the data and actual situation, it is considered that an inorganic salt scale may be formed in the process of repeated alkali washing, and fine particles with a rough surface are also found after disassembling and inspecting the wine valve. Then, it is considered to arrange an acid washing for the wine machine, and the effect of removing inorganic salt scale by acid is better. In the experiment, an acidic cleaning agent produced by a company is selected. The main components of which are from 40% to 60% inorganic acid and 1% to 10% chelating agent, which can be widely used for cleaning machinery and equipment in food processing industries such as beer and beverage. After acid washing with this acidic cleaning agent, the distiller is cleaned every two days by the usual washing process. After each cleaning, the last distiller cleaning water is taken to detect microorganisms. The results are as follows:
According to the results of several batches of cleaning water tracked in the table above, the microorganisms in the cleaning water have obviously improved after pickling, and the results of six batches in a row are all qualified. There are signs of a rebound in the later period, and two batches of unqualified products appear, which shows that although pickling can improve the sanitary environment of the filling machine and obtain better microbial results, it is necessary to combine alkaline washing and periodic acidification to keep the qualified microorganisms.
3. Optimize the Filling and Cleaning Process
Based on the above test results and the actual production environment of the workshop, the following cleaning optimization measures are formulated:
1) when cleaning the wine machine every time, use the newly configured hot water, and directly drain the hot water after the production, and then reconfigure it in the next production.
2) Strictly follow the process requirements. Stop production for three days. Soak a shift of weak alkali in the wine machine, and extend the alkali washing for 30 minutes in the CIP step.
3) Measure the alkali concentration in the CIP alkali tank manually before washing machines to ensure that the concentration meets the process requirements.
4) After each production, drain the residual water in the pipeline and take sanitary measures.
5) Cleaning water sampling port shall be manually scrubbed with foam before washing machines every time. Remove for cleaning, and soak with peracetic acid disinfectant after washing. The sampling port shall be fully washed with lye and hot water when washing machines to ensure the sanitation of the sampling port.
6) Before cleaning the sampling port of the CIP tank every time, disassemble and wash the sampling port and soak peracetic acid disinfectant to ensure its sanitation.
7) When cleaning the wine machine, observe whether the fake cups are cleaned in place and whether there is water leakage. Make records for the next overhaul. After cleaning, dismantle the fake cups and soak them in peracetic acid disinfectant as soon as possible, so as to prevent the fake cups from breeding bacteria due to long-term storage.
8) Dismantle and inspect 3 to 5 wine valves every month for verification, and observe the internal sanitary condition of the wine tank, whether there is scaling and cleaning dead angle. Train the washing operator to strictly implement the above measures before and after washing the machine, and the technician will track the implementation of the measures according to the sampling arrangement. After taking measures, the micro-inspection results of tracking cleaning water are as follows:
From the above results, after the effective implementation of the optimization measures, the microbial detection results of the cleaning water of the filling machine all meet the microbial requirements of the cleaning water and can be stably maintained in a good range.
Summary
Practice is the only criterion to test the truth. In this article, through early data analysis, the corresponding optimization measures are formulated, and then experiments are carried out according to the actual situation. Through repeated practice and data analysis many times, finally, the experience is summarized, and the cleaning scheme with the best cleaning effect of the filling machine is obtained.
There are many factors that affect the microorganisms in the cleaning water of the filling machine. First is the cleaning status of the CIP system. The CIP tank is the supplier of lye and water during the cleaning of filling machines, so we first analyzed the influence of the CIP tank, and continued to study on the premise of ensuring the qualified micro-inspection of the CIP system. Second, the internal cleaning condition of the filling machine, through the inspection and observation of the wine valve, the alkali soaking test before cleaning, tracking data analysis, and finally, thoroughly cleaning the filling machine without dead ends by pickling, further ensuring the internal cleaning effect of the filling machine and minimizing the internal influence of the filling machine itself. Third, the sanitation of the sampling port, mainly by disassembling and washing and soaking peracetic acid disinfectant to ensure its sanitation and reduce or even eliminate the secondary pollution from the sampling port. Fourth, clean the sanitation of pipelines and drain the residual water in time. Avoid the pollution caused by a large number of microorganisms breeding in the pipelines due to the long shutdown time.
In a word, microbial management and control of filling machines is a long-term and arduous task, which requires us to persist for a long time and practice continuously. Optimize continuously, and analyze data Solve problems, and accumulate experience, exploring step by step. Only by ensuring the qualified microorganisms of the equipment can we ensure the microbial stability of our products and improve the flavor and quality of beer.