Standardized methods for industry-oriented soil analysis in food production for resource-saving cleaning processes – SMESA

Economic trends such as product individualization lead to decreasing batch sizes and thus to frequent product changes on machines and lines. A reduction in the consumption of resources in terms of water, chemicals, energy and time can be achieved by a product-specific design of the cleaning processes. This requires knowledge of the soil properties relevant to cleaning. Numerous cleaning-relevant soil properties have already been identified in laboratory tests and specific methods for their analysis have been established, but these are difficult to apply in the industrial environment.

The aim of the project is to provide an industrially applicable, standardized catalog of methods for the analysis of the cleaning-relevant properties of soils and the targeted use of the results for the parameterization and optimization of resource-efficient and safe cleaning processes in food production. On the one hand, methods are developed that can be easily implemented in the laboratories of food-producing companies, and on the other hand, a selection of methods that can be carried out by means of contract analysis.

On the basis of previous research results and a company survey, methods for the targeted determination of cleaning-relevant soil properties will be collected. These methods will then be established and validated on a laboratory and pilot plant scale using examples of soil from the dairy industry. A classification is made with regard to their potential, informative value and industrial feasibility. Correlations are presented in a decision tree with the aid of statistical evaluations.

As a result of the project, a catalog of methods will be developed which will allow the cleaning-relevant properties of food-based soils to be determined and interpreted directly in the industrial environment. On the basis of the results, suitable cleaning liquids and cleaning processes can be selected for specific soils. The method catalog thus represents an essential tool for needs-based cleaning.

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