How is Hygiene and Sanitation Performed in Milk Production Facilities?

In milk production facilities, it is crucial to produce the highest quality milk for consumers by effectively eliminating lumps and microorganisms within the milk.

A series of processes are carried out in milk production facilities to address such problems. In particular, microorganisms in milk cause bad odors and spoilage of milk and dairy products.

In milk production facilities, especially those producing pasteurized milk, all equipment and tools used must be cleaned and then disinfected after use.

Machine Equipment Monitoring

Milk Storage Tanks; Milk storage tanks on dairy farms must be emptied after 48 hours of storage.

Evaporators; They must be cleaned in a cycle of at least 44 hours.

Other monitored systems;

• Cleaning cycle duration
• Temperature
• Velocity of the cleaning solution circulating within the system
• Pumps that inject cleaning fluid into the system
• Presence of necessary chemicals for the cleaning cycle
• Strength of the chemicals

Personnel and managers working in such facilities must have a good understanding of hygiene and sanitation systems and the nature of water.

Water Use and Its Importance in Milk Production Facilities?

The water used in such facilities forms the basis of hygiene and sanitation processes. As water passes through the soil during the earth's water cycle, it absorbs dissolved carbon dioxide and minerals from plant residues in the soil. Subsequently, the water contains dissolved minerals.

The water used in milk production facilities can be hard water. It may also contain suspended solid particles. While it is easy to remove suspended solids from the water, removing water hardness requires more complex procedures.

What Causes Hardness in Water?

Certain chemical elements are responsible for water hardness. Water hardness is divided into 2 categories. The first is temporary hardness and the second is permanent hardness.

Temporary Hardness; Bicarbonate ions cause temporary hardness. The ions that cause temporary hardness are Bicarbonate ions.

Permanent Hardness; The ions that cause permanent hardness are Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions. These are the compounds they form with sulfate and chlorine.

The compounds that allow these ions to be present in water are Calcium Bicarbonate and Magnesium Bicarbonate.

One of the most important issues is the presence of iron and manganese ions in well water. This water should not be used for washing during the cheese production stage. Such impurities can leave red stains on the cheese after washing.

The unit for water hardness is specified as mg/L. The types of water hardness are as follows.

Soft Water: Water classified as soft is specified as 0-60 mg/L.

Moderately Hard Water: Moderately hard water is specified as 61-120 mg/L.

Hard Water: Hard water is specified as 121-180 mg/L.

Very Hard Water: Very Hard Water is that which is >181 mg/L.

What are the Properties of Cleaning Chemicals Used in Milk Production Facilities?

The chemicals used in these types of applications are divided into 2 categories: alkaline and acidic. There are also many different combinations within these forms.

The formation of these combinations includes the following types of compounds.

• Alkalis
• Phosphates
• Wetting Agents (Surfactants)
• Chelating Agents
• Acids

What are the Functional Properties of Cleaning Chemicals?

1. Ensures that liquid and solid fat forms are held together by forming clumps, thereby promoting emulsification and keeping soil particles separate for effective cleaning.
2. Breaks down aggregates and solid particles that hinder dispersion.
3. Ensures the dissolution of organic and inorganic compounds originating from soil.
4. Enables the dissolution of proteins through hydrolysis and the dispersion of peptized proteins.
5. Treating a solution or suspension with water for rinsing and separation.
6. Saponification: An alkaline substance is combined with fat to create soap. This ensures that the soluble soap is more easily removed from the system.
7. Complex compounds are formed with polyphosphates to remove water hardness. Complexes formed with sequestering agents are more easily removed from the water. A complex made with a compound like Ethylenediamine Tetraacetic Acid (EDTA) is referred to as chelation.
8. The surface tension of the solution must be lowered to increase its wetting ability, allowing it to better penetrate and remove dirt. The chemicals used for this are surfactants.

How is EDTA used in milk production facilities?

EDTA's use in the dairy industry is generally for removing metal ions and improving the quality of dairy products. EDTA can prevent the oxidation of metal ions, which can extend the shelf life of milk and dairy products. When metal ions react with oxygen, the risk of oxidative spoilage and the formation of off-flavors can increase.