end of the production shift, this equipment
should be disassembled, and all parts should
be cleaned and sanitized. These parts, as well
as portable equipment, should be stored off
of the floor in a clean environment to pro-
tect against splash water, dust, and other
contamination sources.
The following steps apply when cleaning
seafood plants:
- Cover electrical equipment with poly-
ethylene or equivalent film. - Remove large debris and place it in
receptacles. - Manually or mechanically remove soil
deposits from the walls and floors by
scraping, brushing, or by the action of
a hose from mechanized cleaning
equipment. Proceed from the top to the
bottom of the equipment and walls,
toward the floor drains or exit. - Disassemble equipment as required.
- Conduct a prerinse for wetting action
and removal of large and water-soluble
debris, with water at 40°C or lower. This
temperature is important. A higher tem-
perature can cause denaturation of
seafood residues and other proteins, with
subsequent baking onto the contact
surface. - Apply a cleaning compound that is
effective against organic soil (usually an
alkaline cleaner) by portable or cen-
tralized high-pressure, low-volume, or
foam equipment. The temperature
of the cleaning solution should not
exceed 55°C. Cleaning compounds such
as sodium tripolyphosphate, tetra-
sodium pyrophosphate (a general-pur-
pose cleaner), or a chlorinated alkaline
detergent are usually considered satis-
factory. More than one cleaner should
be incorporated because of the nature
of the soiled equipment material char-
acteristics. (Chapter 9 discusses appro-
priate cleaning compounds for various
cleaning applications. Chapter 11 pro-
vides a detailed discussion of the opti-
mal cleaning equipment for various
cleaning applications.)- After the cleaning compound has been
applied and given approximately 15
minutes to aid in soil removal, rinse the
equipment and area with water that is
55 to 60°C. Hotter water is more effec-
tive in removing fats, oils, and inor-
ganic materials, but the cleaning
compound aids in emulsification of
these solids. Also, a higher water tem-
perature contributes to higher energy
costs and more condensation on the
equipment, walls, and ceilings. - Inspect equipment and the facility for
effective cleaning, and correct deficien-
cies. - Ensure plant sanitation through appli-
cation of a sanitizer. Although chlorine
compounds are the most economical
and widely used, other methods (as dis-
cussed in Chapter 10) are available.
Table 18–1 provides the recommended
concentrations for various sanitizing
operations. Washing raw salmon with
an acidified sodium chlorite (ASC)
solution reduces the microbial load on
the skin of whole salmon and in fillets
as well as L. monocytogenesin the fil-
lets. The antimicrobial activity of ASC
is enhanced when salmon is washed
with an ASC solution and stored in
ASC ice (Su and Morrissey, 2003). San-
itizers are most effectively applied by
use of a portable sprayer in small appli-
cations or with a centralized spraying
or fogging system in large-volume oper-
ations. Chapters 9, 10, and 11 discuss
available cleaning compounds, sanitiz-
ers, and sanitation equipment.