2.3 Cleaning and Sanitizing Agents
41
(a) Cleaning agents are applied on surfaces with the aim of removing dirty particles and food-related materials by means of the action of both caustic alkaline media such as sodium hydroxide, and one or more sequestrant molecules
such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) sodium salt. This application is
assumed to be made after manual removal, and cleaning agent can have peculiar
dangers for food operators.
(b) Sanitizers are applied on surfaces generally after foaming agents and subsequent water washing, with two different aims: (i) to remove residual foam traces
and (ii) to sanitize permanently (for a certain number of hours, until the next
production cycle) surfaces. This operation is possible by means of the action
of quaternary ammonium salts, substituted diamines, polybiguanides, hydrogenated betaines, etc. After this step, a final washing with water is required.
Sanitizing agents can have peculiar dangers for food operators.
The main dangers (in form of hazards and precautionary statements) of certain cleaners and sanitizers should be preventively considered. Actually, there are
a plethora of possible combinations and products on the market. Consequently, the
figure has to be intended only as an example of possibilities offered by both cleaning
and sanitizing agents.
A possible cleaning agent—actually, a mixture of non-dangerous and dangerous
substances, so it is a ‘mixture’—can exhibit a safety data sheet (SDS) showing the
following classifications (among others):
• ‘Causes severe skin burns and eye damage’ 1 A (H314)
• ‘May be corrosive to metals’ 1 (H290)
and consequently recommend the following precautionary statements (among others,
phrases have been modified with the aim of a simple comprehension):
• P280: Wear eye protection/face protection
• P303+P361+P353: Take off immediately all contaminated clothing, then rinse skin
with water or shower (if skin or hair have been in contact with the product)
• P305+P351+P338: Rinse cautiously with water for several minutes. Remove contact lenses, if present and easy to do. Continue rinsing (if the product is in contact
with eyes)
• P310: Immediately search for a poison center and/or medical help.
At the same time, sanitizing agents may exhibit very similar data in their SDS,
with the possible addition (because of sanitizing active principles) of certain hazard
statements related to ecotoxicological considerations. One simple example is:
‘Harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects’ 3 (H412), and this statement
can be added to above-mentioned phrases. For the rest, there is a certain similarity
between SDS of cleaners and sanitizers not because of similar features and composition, but because of the similar physical state and the premise that sanitizers have
to remove efficacy cleaners (after a preventive aqueous washing). Consequently, the
physical similarity of water-diluted solutions (rheology, etc.) is recommended and
also desired.
41
(a) Cleaning agents are applied on surfaces with the aim of removing dirty particles and food-related materials by means of the action of both caustic alkaline media such as sodium hydroxide, and one or more sequestrant molecules
such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) sodium salt. This application is
assumed to be made after manual removal, and cleaning agent can have peculiar
dangers for food operators.
(b) Sanitizers are applied on surfaces generally after foaming agents and subsequent water washing, with two different aims: (i) to remove residual foam traces
and (ii) to sanitize permanently (for a certain number of hours, until the next
production cycle) surfaces. This operation is possible by means of the action
of quaternary ammonium salts, substituted diamines, polybiguanides, hydrogenated betaines, etc. After this step, a final washing with water is required.
Sanitizing agents can have peculiar dangers for food operators.
The main dangers (in form of hazards and precautionary statements) of certain cleaners and sanitizers should be preventively considered. Actually, there are
a plethora of possible combinations and products on the market. Consequently, the
figure has to be intended only as an example of possibilities offered by both cleaning
and sanitizing agents.
A possible cleaning agent—actually, a mixture of non-dangerous and dangerous
substances, so it is a ‘mixture’—can exhibit a safety data sheet (SDS) showing the
following classifications (among others):
• ‘Causes severe skin burns and eye damage’ 1 A (H314)
• ‘May be corrosive to metals’ 1 (H290)
and consequently recommend the following precautionary statements (among others,
phrases have been modified with the aim of a simple comprehension):
• P280: Wear eye protection/face protection
• P303+P361+P353: Take off immediately all contaminated clothing, then rinse skin
with water or shower (if skin or hair have been in contact with the product)
• P305+P351+P338: Rinse cautiously with water for several minutes. Remove contact lenses, if present and easy to do. Continue rinsing (if the product is in contact
with eyes)
• P310: Immediately search for a poison center and/or medical help.
At the same time, sanitizing agents may exhibit very similar data in their SDS,
with the possible addition (because of sanitizing active principles) of certain hazard
statements related to ecotoxicological considerations. One simple example is:
‘Harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects’ 3 (H412), and this statement
can be added to above-mentioned phrases. For the rest, there is a certain similarity
between SDS of cleaners and sanitizers not because of similar features and composition, but because of the similar physical state and the premise that sanitizers have
to remove efficacy cleaners (after a preventive aqueous washing). Consequently, the
physical similarity of water-diluted solutions (rheology, etc.) is recommended and
also desired.