Using Water More Efficiently in Beef Packing Plants

Packing plants use a time-tested approach to clean their facilities. The first step uses high-pressure hot water to remove fat and meat scraps from equipment, floors and walls. Next, surfaces are cleaned using detergent. Finally, sanitizers are used to further reduce bacterial numbers. Processing companies want to reduce water use as part of their environmental goals and to reduce energy bills.

High-pressure water and steam can produce aerosols that capture bacteria and spread them throughout the plant. They can then settle on and cross-contaminate clean surfaces long after the cleaning has been completed, which complicates efforts to effectively clean facilities.

Biofilms are another problem. Biofilms are colonies of bacteria surrounded by a protective layer that firmly attaches them to surfaces and shelters the bacteria from hot water, detergents and sanitizers. Biofilms are hard to remove and are commonly found in hard-to-reach places.

These researchers investigated potential cross-contamination caused by pressurized water aerosols, in-plant biofilms harborage and ways to use less hot water and lower pressure, a particular challenge when trying to clean fat from surfaces. Information generated in this work could improve effectiveness of cleaning, reduction in water usage, as well as improved microbiological safety of meat.

1. Establish an objective measurement of cleaning and sanitation effectiveness and determine the potential for cross-contamination from aerosols and biofilms.
2. Identify conditions that reduce cross-contamination.
3. Identify physical and chemical pre-treatments for water that improve cleaning effectiveness and reduce the volume and temperature of water required for cleaning.