Non-chlorine detergent formulations as an alternative for unpasteurised milk removal from stainless steel surfaces

Wilson-Nieuwenhuis, Joels, Taylour, Jim, Gomes, Luciana C ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8992-1097, Lynch, Stephen ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4183-5122, Whitehead, David and Whitehead, Kathryn A ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6001-6686 (2024) Non-chlorine detergent formulations as an alternative for unpasteurised milk removal from stainless steel surfaces. Journal of Food Engineering, 374. 112031. ISSN 0260-8774

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Abstract

Hygiene is a major concern in the dairy industry, and detergents based on hypochlorite have commonly been utilised for cleaning-in-place (CIP) regimes. However, due to concerns about chlorate residues entering the milk processing chain, new detergent alternatives that are free of chlorate sources are required. Two new formulations were developed based on ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and wetting agents. Stainless steel surfaces were fouled with milk and cleaned once or 10 times using water, a caustic-EDTA product, a sodium hypochlorite product, an acid, or new cleaning formulations (Product A and Product B). The results demonstrated that the use of acid did not result in successful cleaning. The two new products performed well, with Product B performing equivalently during cleaning compared with the established hypochlorite or caustic-EDTA products. Product A exhibited better cleanliness than the other detergents tested. When allergen removal was considered, residual material was found to be retained on the surfaces, regardless of the cleaning type used. This study suggests that the new product formulations may be used to replace hypochlorite-based detergents to increase the hygienic status of a surface.