Better hygiene management with chlorine dioxide

Bacteria count in the water: less than a hundred. Mould count: zero. The water: Legionella-free. Those are the results achieved by a producer of ready-to-eat-products by using chlorine dioxide, supported by cleaning specialist Kleentec. Kleentec collaborated with the company ProMinent to improve hygiene standards within the manufacturing firm.

Kleentec, specialised in hygiene and disinfection in the food processing industry, has been working with ProMinent, an expert in water treatment and disinfection, for the past 18 months. Over the past 16 years, Kleentec has grown into a company employing 450 full-time members of staff and with a large share of the open plant cleaning (OPC) market – a market which still holds lots of potential for ProMinent.

Removes biofilm

ProMinent is the only firm in the Netherlands with CTGB (Board for the Authorisation of Plant Protection Products and Biocides) approval for the use of chlorine dioxide on foods (authorisation number 13747 N). The authorisation applies to the entire series of Bello Zon chlorine dioxide systems. That is unique because other companies are only authorised to use chlorine dioxide in pipes or machinery and not on products. “This makes it ideal for the food industry,” says Tom Homan Free, Sales Engineer. “Chlorine dioxide is a gas that is dissolved in water; it reacts independently of the water’s pH value. It permeates biofilm cell membranes, destroys cells and microorganisms and hence removes the biofilm.” Among other things, the ‘active’ water is used to wash and process products such as meat, fish or vegetables, to rinse out bottles and pipes and to clean machines.

“The whole Legionella management plan has been scrapped. It’s no longer needed”

Collaboration between Kleentec and ProMinent

Bas Niemeijer, Managing Director of Kleentec: “We are strong in red and white meat, but also in cheese and bakery products. This collaboration is mutually beneficial. It originated when one of our customers asked about the use of chlorine dioxide, so we set out to find out more about it. What does it do? How does it add value? And is it a worthwhile investment? The fact that ProMinent is the only company that is authorised to use it on products made all the difference for us.” Tom Homan Free: “Our company became successful thanks to dosing pumps, but we are also focused on disinfection nowadays. Even before we started collaborating with Kleentec, we’d been working for various producers of cheese and beverages, including some well-known brands of beer and soft drinks. This partnership is helping us to expand our sales market to OPC.” 

Complete package of necessary expertise

Bas Niemeijer and Tom Homan Free drew up a plan for their first joint customer, the manufacturer of ready-to-eat products. Now, 18 months down the line, Bas Niemeijer sums up the results: “Notably, the bacteria counts in the water are less than a hundred, the mould count is zero and the water is Legionella-free. In fact we scrapped the Legionella management plan because it’s no longer necessary.” The two companies also work with Diversey and Jures Techniek, meaning that they provide the complete package of necessary expertise. Tom Homan Free: “Chlorine dioxide doesn’t replace cleaning activities nor the use of other chemicals. We can’t simply add chlorine dioxide to the process. We work with Diversey to align the use of the substances. Jures Techniek designs and supplies professional cleaning equipment, pressure washers, disinfection systems and foam systems. These are all relevant in combination with the supply, installation and application of the Bello Zon systems.”

Effect of active water

The microbiologically stable water gets everywhere. Bas Niemeijer: “It gets into every nook and cranny. And on everything it comes into contact with, the chlorine dioxide does its job without leaving a residue. That’s particularly important in places that are otherwise hard to access. Easy-to-reach surfaces can be effectively cleaned using foam and disinfection.” Tom Homan Free adds: “This is a step towards 100% control. The water is clean, and after a while so too are all the pipes. That’s where control of Salmonella, Legionella, Listeria and E.coli starts. You minimise the risk factors and prevent hotbeds of bacteria and the accumulation of dirt and biofilm.” Bas Niemeijer even believes that the final disinfection step could be eliminated in the future: “If you perform thorough pre-cleaning followed by effective foam cleaning and rinsing is done using this water, there’s no need for extra disinfection afterwards.” “That’s true,” agrees Tom Homan Free, “but then the manufacturing company needs to have been using the water for a while first. The chlorine dioxide needs some time to do its job properly everywhere and to remove the dirt and biofilm in pipes. Once all the pipes are 100% clean you can move onto that next step.”

Leasing

Bas Niemeijer has every faith in the future of this system: “The fact that we, Kleentec, are investing in the purchase of this system for our customers underlines our belief in it. We also take care of the implementation and integration in the process. In return, the client pays a relatively low monthly fee, depending on the length of the contract period. It’s a kind of leasing agreement.” Tom Homan Free adds: “It’s important to involve the food producer’s maintenance department, though. There are a couple of technical aspects to consider – even simple things like where to mount the chlorine dioxide system on the wall. The project plan needs to be workable for all concerned.”
Furthermore, things run more smoothly if all communication goes through just one partner, explains Bas Niemeijer: “We normally take the lead in that respect.” The partners are currently working on a number of joint projects. “I don’t see any reason why food producers shouldn’t work with this approach,” he states.

www.kleentec.nl/food-industry/
www.prominent.com