Full Analysis Of Air Disinfection Methods And Advantages And Disadvantages Of Ultraviolet Disinfection In Food Processing Workshops

In the food production process, controlling microorganisms in the workshop airflow is a key step in determining product quality.

Many food companies have encountered such troubles: Although the raw materials are up to standard and the process is compliant, the products are moldy and spoiled.

In fact, the root of the problem is often hidden in the workshop air.

Once the microorganisms in the air exceed the standard, they will adhere to the surface of the product, especially in exposed operations such as cooling and packaging, which will directly lead to the formation of secondary pollution.

Therefore, only by strictly controlling and disinfecting the air in the food production workshop can the microbial content in the air in the workshop be effectively controlled, preventing product contamination and preventing mold problems.

Today, we start to talk about common methods of air disinfection in workshops. We talk about the advantages and disadvantages of different disinfection methods to help everyone find solutions that are safer, more efficient and suitable for the food production environment.

Ultraviolet lamp: seemingly simple, but actually has obvious limitations

Many old food factories have the preference to evenly distribute ultraviolet germicidal lamps on the ceiling of the workshop, and use ultraviolet radiation to carry out disinfection of object surfaces and air.

This method has the advantages of simple operation, low price, and convenient management. It can disinfect individual rooms at any time according to production needs without adding or producing any toxic and harmful substances.

However, judging from the actual use results, the limitations of ultraviolet lamps are becoming more and more prominent.

When the ultraviolet lamp is emitted, its intensity will gradually weaken as the use time increases, and the disinfection and sterilization ability will continue to decline, so frequent testing and replacement of lamps are required.

The more important aspect is that the penetrating power of ultraviolet rays is very weak and can easily be blocked by production equipment, thus forming a blind spot in disinfection.

Once the relative humidity in the workshop exceeds 60%, the sterilization effect will be significantly weakened. When the humidity exceeds 80%, it is basically unsuitable for use.

Since ultraviolet light can only kill microorganisms directly exposed to it, in a food workshop with dense equipment, it is difficult to ensure that every corner is fully exposed to ultraviolet light, which leaves room for microorganisms to survive.

Chemical fumigation: Although the effect is strong, the cost is high

Fumigation disinfection uses gas or smoke formed by disinfection drugs to perform fumigation operations in a closed space. On the one hand, it can treat indoor air, and on the other hand, it can also treat contaminated surfaces.

In the past, many food companies used formaldehyde fumigation to disinfect the workshop air, but this method has gradually been abandoned.

The reason is very straightforward: disinfection and sterilization take a long time and affect the normal production rhythm.

After the disinfection operation is carried out, the ventilation system needs to be turned on for a long time in order to eliminate the pungent odor. However, the excessive extension of non-production operation time causes serious waste of energy.

What is more troublesome is that formaldehyde fumigation will produce paraformaldehyde polymer. This white powder will adhere to the maintenance structure and equipment pipes of the clean room. The number of suspended ions will increase within a few days after disinfection, and the polymer will gradually depolymerize into formaldehyde, which is extremely harmful to operators.

Since each fumigation takes at least 24 hours, companies generally can only perform major disinfection once a month. However, people, materials, and outdoor fresh air have to enter and exit the workshop every day, and the microorganisms brought in cannot be killed in time. As a result, the number of microorganisms will increase over time.

If formaldehyde is added to the mix with its strong pungent smell and carcinogenic risks, it no longer meets the safety requirements of modern food factories.

Ozone disinfection: strong oxidizing ability, but safety needs to be paid attention to

Under normal temperature conditions, ozone is an explosive gas. It has a particularly foul smell and is one of the strongest oxidants known.

Its bactericidal principle mainly relies on strong oxidation, which causes the enzyme to lose activity, thereby causing the death of microorganisms.

Ozone has an obvious killing effect on microorganisms in the air. At a concentration of 30mg/m³, for 15 minutes, the killing rate of natural bacteria can reach more than 90%. Ozone can be removed, the environment can be purified, and the air can become fresher.

There is a situation where ozone has the effect of killing microorganisms polluted on the surface. However, the process of its action is relatively slow. Generally speaking, it needs to reach a concentration of 60 mg/m³ and a relative humidity of greater than or equal to 70%. Under these conditions, it needs to act for 60 to 120 minutes to achieve the disinfection effect.

It should be noted that ozone is toxic to humans. The concentration allowed in the atmosphere stipulated by the state is 0.2 mg/m³. Therefore, disinfection must be carried out without personnel.

In addition, when ozone is used for water disinfection, the lower the temperature, the better the effect will be. The higher the temperature, the faster it will decompose, and the worse the sterilization effect will be.

Even if ozone can be in direct contact with food to preserve freshness, it will not produce residual pollution and will not affect the nutritional content. However, when it is used in food workshops, the risk of personnel exposure must be strictly controlled, and it has high requirements for humidity.

Comparison of commonly used disinfectants: each has its shortcomings, so choose carefully

In the air disinfection of food workshops, the choice of disinfectant is also crucial.

Quaternary ammonium salts are the general name for monoquaternary ammonium salts, quaternary ammonium salts are the general name for double quaternary ammonium salts, quaternary ammonium salts are the general name for triquaternary ammonium salts, quaternary ammonium salts are the general name for polyquaternary ammonium salts, and quaternary ammonium salts are the general name for hyperbranched quaternary ammonium salts. It is an inefficient disinfectant and has a certain bactericidal effect at low concentrations, but it does not kill It has low bactericidal efficacy and a narrow bactericidal spectrum. It can only kill low-resistant microorganisms such as bacterial propagules, and it is easy to develop drug resistance. Its bactericidal efficacy is greatly affected by temperature. After disinfection, a film layer will be formed on the surface of the object. This film layer is difficult to remove, so its application in the food industry is limited.

Peracetic acid has a high bactericidal effect and can kill highly resistant microorganisms such as spores and molds without leaving any residue after decomposition. However, it is highly corrosive to metals and other materials, and frequent use will shorten the life of the equipment.

At the same time, peracetic acid has a strong pungent odor and is highly toxic before it is decomposed. Operators can only use it after professional training.

Because peracetic acid is unstable and easy to decompose on its own, its effectiveness is affected by factors such as light and temperature, and fluctuates greatly. It needs to be reported when purchasing, reporting when transporting, reporting when storing, and reporting when using, so it cannot be used as a routine disinfectant in daily life.

Silver ion hydrogen peroxide: an eco-efficient future trend

Silver hydrogen peroxide ions are composed of hydrogen peroxide and silver ions, a two-phase composite material form. This combination solves the unstable chemical characteristics of hydrogen peroxide and strictly controls the corrosiveness. At the same time, it also greatly promotes the improvement of sterilization efficiency.

It is a food-grade disinfectant with no color, no odor, no residue, and a sterilization rate of more than 5 logarithms. It can effectively kill all types of microorganisms, including spores and molds (spores).

After optimizing the formula, its corrosiveness can be strictly controlled, and there is basically no corrosion for materials such as metals.

Considering the use experience, silver hydrogen peroxide ions are in the form of a transparent liquid like water. It has no toxicity and no residue. It does not produce disinfection by-products, thus bringing a safe and pleasant disinfection experience.

In the field of environmental disinfection and air disinfection, when used in conjunction with air pressure atomization equipment, such as Chenyu Str-battery atomizer or atomization equipment with finer droplets, the disinfectant can be evenly distributed to every corner of the workshop, truly achieving comprehensive coverage without dead ends.

Construction of aseptic environment in packaging process

In food manufacturing, especially in the packaging process, the requirements for aseptic packaging are getting higher and higher.

Many companies create a purified environment by building clean rooms. Such clean rooms will purify the filtered air again and then send it to a specific environment. The heat-sterilized food enters this environment and is cooled before being packaged. It is equivalent to an ultra-clean workbench in the laboratory and can achieve truly aseptic packaging.

When selecting a workshop air disinfection method, you must not only consider the effectiveness of microbial killing, but also consider various factors such as operational safety, equipment compatibility, and cost control.

Ozone disinfection is suitable for regular sterilization operations in unmanned conditions. Hydrogen peroxide and silver ions combined with atomization equipment can achieve rapid disinfection between production intervals. Combining the two can often yield better results.

Air disinfection in food workshops is a systematic task, and no one method can do it all.

Ultraviolet lamps are suitable for auxiliary disinfection, chemical fumigation is gradually being phased out, ozone is suitable for regular large-dose disinfection, and hydrogen peroxide silver ions combined with atomization equipment show the trend of ecological disinfection in the future.

In the process of actual application, an appropriate disinfection plan can be selected based on the layout of the workshop, the specific situation of the production rhythm, and the characteristics of the product itself. If necessary, a variety of methods can be combined and used. Only in this way can an effective and controllable state of microorganisms in the workshop air be truly achieved, thereby eliminating the occurrence of mold in the product, thereby ensuring food safety.