Things To Know About Food Service Sanitizer

Things To Know About Food Service Sanitizer – Appropriate cleaning is preliminary to right sanitization. To keep food safe, both are essential. All or any food-contact surfaces like cutting boards, tabletops, knives, utensils, and equipment have to be cleaned as well as sanitized post use.

Why both cleaning and sanitization?

Cleaning eliminates organic matter like protein, oils, and grease by use of detergent based chemicals suitably. This is because bacteria develop due to the presence of organic matter and also prevents the action of sanitization.

Cleaning eliminates physical soils while sanitizers minimize pathogens to safe proportions on these surfaces. Sanitization is inefficient on a dirty surface and therefore cleaning has to be done before sanitization for efficiency.

How to clean and sanitize?

Before washing, eliminate larger particles of food by scrubbing, soaking, and scraping. After this, clean with water or a food-safe detergent. A mix of appropriate detergent in a suitable concentration in 110 degrees F water is utilized for cleaning.

Rinse with clean water until the surface is properly cleaned. After this sanitize the surface with the help of quats and unscented chlorine bleach diluted to 100 parts/million. The diluted solutions will last only a day.

Discard the old solution as it is not effective in sanitization. When you make use of wiping cloths, apply the solution, and wipe. Let the surface dry. This way the sanitizer will do its job efficiently. It is best not to wipe dry a sanitized surface since contaminants can re-enter.

What is sanitization?

Sanitization is a process where chemicals/ heat are employed on a thoroughly cleaned surface to eliminate pathogens. It should not be confused with sterilization, disinfectant, antiseptic, germicide, bacteriostat, and bactericide.

Food service sanitizer

A food service sanitizer should be of a pH range 7-7.5 and non-aromatic. Food services generally make use of 2 common methods to sanitize. They are the use of chemicals and heat.

• Use of heat

Rinse food contact surfaces with fresh hot water at 77 deg C/171 deg F temperature. Use a dishwasher in a hot rinse that is not over 90 deg C/194 deg F and not lesser than 74 deg C/165 deg F.

• Use of chemicals

Food safe chemicals used and approved for sanitization are quarternary ammonium, chlorine, and iodine. Foodservice stores use them to sanitize the surfaces.

Chemical sanitizers efficiency is based on certain factors such as:

• Concentration – Too much is toxic and too little is ineffective on germs. The right proportions are essential for effective sanitization.

• Temperature – Effective sanitization is best at temperatures between 120 deg F and 55 deg F.

• Time of food contact – The sanitizer must be kept in contact with the surface to a recommended frame of time to eliminate microorganisms.

• Inorganic/organic inactivators presence – The presence of these on the surface can react and make a sanitizer inefficient. Thorough cleaning and rinsing are therefore very essential before sanitization.

• Nature of surface – Metal, plastic, wood, and glass material react distinctly with sanitizers.

• Surface topography, area and geometry – A smooth surface sanitizes easily as compared to a rough material surface.

• Residual microorganisms – Microorganisms load present on the surface, their species and their nature can impact the activity of a sanitizer. Some species are resistant while others are eliminated easily with a sanitizer.

Approval

USEPA- Environmental Protection Agency of US registers chemical sanitizers that can be used on food contact areas and surfaces. These chemicals are tested for safety and efficacy standards. Their labeling information is checked as well.

Foodservice sanitizers are registered based on the efficacy of sanitization against E.coli and Salmonella typhi. The chemical sanitizers and other agents should be FDA approved.

Other sanitization methods employed at food service centres

Chemical agents are subject to concern as they impact the environment. So, other foodservice sanitization methods used by retail or food service setups are Ozone, Electrolyzed water, and Peracetic acid.

An ozone-O3 molecule is effective as an antibacterial agent. It destroys and oxidizes organic compounds on the food-contact surface without any toxic residues. Electrolyzed water is antimicrobial and safe to use.

Things To Know About Food Service Sanitizer – Conclusion

A sanitizer employed for food service should be food-safe and effective in sanitization. Heat and chemicals are generally used for sanitization of food contact surfaces. Other than these electrolyzed water, PAA and ozone have paved a way for food service sanitization.

The sanitizer used for foodservice should be FDA approved. Hence sanitize after cleaning and keep your food contact surfaces germ free. It’s a matter of health so do not compromise.