the extra-virgin olive oil handbook (peri/the extra-virgin olive oil handbook) || the hygiene of the...

21The hygiene of the olive oilfactoryCristina Alamprese1 and Bruno Zanoni21Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences,Milan, Italy2Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry System Management, Universityof Florence, Florence, Italy

Abstract

The hygienic requirements of an olive oil factory are listed. These involve the exter-nal environment, buildings and internal logistics, plant and equipment, and person-nel. The structure of a hygiene management system (HMS or HACCP) is thoroughlydiscussed. In Annex 21.1, the fundamentals and practical applications of hygienicdesign are presented.

21.1 Introduction

The hygiene of oil factories (either mills, oil storage facilities or bottling plants)is crucial to avoid oil contamination. Foreign bodies and contaminants can derivefrom: (i) contact between the oil and dirty surfaces or unsuitable material; (ii) partic-ulate matter falling accidentally from buildings, equipment or people; (iii) transferof volatile compounds or fine dust or smoke or aerosols from the atmosphere;(iv) faeces and body fragments of birds, rodents, pets, insects and so forth.

Unsatisfactory hygiene of an oil factory may lead to loss of oil quality and safety,which may then result in economic losses such as product recall cost, liability costand loss of business.

At the same time, the hygiene of the olive oil factory is an indicator ofmanagement reliability that results not only from good cleaning practices, but alsofrom educated and responsible personnel and orderly and timely carrying out ofoperations.

The Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Handbook, First Edition. Edited by Claudio Peri.© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Published 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

264 CH21 THE HYGIENE OF THE OLIVE OIL FACTORY

First glance evaluation of an olive oil factory

When visiting an olive oil factory, immediate attention should be given to thehygiene of the plant, the workers and the environment. A negative impressionshould be taken as an indication of poor organization and limited awareness ofnegative consequences. The following 12 points are suggested to evaluate at aglance the factory’s ranking in management and reliability:

1. Dirty floors splattered with olive paste or soil and spilled oil.

2. Dirty walls and ceilings, corners, windows and doors. Defective closureof doors and windows.

3. Unprotected access to animals and the presence of their excrement (cats,dogs, birds, mice, rats, cockroaches and flying insects).

4. Medley of incompatible materials such as extra-virgin olive oil andpackaging material or plant’s spare parts, lubricating oil and grease,detergents, cleaning supplies and so forth. These materials must bestored in different rooms, in specific closets.

5. Improper process logistics, with mixing or lack of barriers between dirtyareas (olive reception area and waste discharge area) and clean areas(the mill, the area of oil handling and bottling).

6. Confusion in receiving the olives without checking their integrity andcleanliness and without keeping a first-in-first-out order.

7. Improper clothing and inadequate personal hygiene of workers.

8. People eating or smoking in working areas.

9. Unplanned presence of visitors in the working areas.

10. Lack of daily cleaning of the plant or gaps in the cleaning programme ofthe buildings, floors and the factory environment.

11. Waste, fermented and rotted by-products on the outside of the premises,attracting animals, especially rodents and insects. Odour pollution.

12. Smoke from burning wood or paper or plastic or car exhaust. Smoke isreadily absorbed by oil with negative effects on both its health-promoting and sensory quality.

21.2 Hygiene of the external environment and buildings

In order to facilitate a more detailed and systematic implementation of hygiene inan olive oil factory, requirements and recommendations concerning the externalenvironment, the buildings and the internal environment, the plant and the personnelare listed below.

21.2 HYGIENE OF THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT AND BUILDINGS 265

21.2.1 External environment

• The area of an olive oil processing facility should be at no risk of flooding, farfrom waste or garbage dumps as well as from sources of chemical or biologicalpollution, including stock farms. Air in the vicinity of the processing plant canbe a source of biological, chemical, and particulate contaminants, includingsolvents, odours and smoke;

• The olive oil factory should be located away from areas prone to infestationsby pests.

• The factory should be established in an area that is sufficiently large to facilitateaccess by suppliers and customers.

• An adequate supply of potable water must be available. If nonpotable wateris used (e.g. for fire control, heating, refrigeration and other similar purposeswhere it would not contaminate food), it must be clearly identified and mustnot be connected to potable water systems.

• Protected and suitably equipped facilities should be available for waste dis-charge, accumulation and treatment. They should be isolated in order to avoidodour pollution and the attraction of rodents and other pests to the processingplant.

• The area outside the building must be in polished cement at least fivemeters wide around the building. Access should be through paveddriveways.

• The area of olive reception and storage, with floor in polished cement, must befrequently cleaned and washed; it should be covered with a roof, and be largeenough to store the olive containers in a first-in-first-out order, easily accessiblefor visual inspection.

21.2.2 Buildings and internal environment

There are four main areas in an olive oil factory:

1. The area for reception and storage of olives.

2. The processing area.

3. The oil storage, bottling and packaging area.

4. The shipping area.

Areas 1 and 4 are prone to having people from the outside moving around; theseareas should therefore be physically separated from the processing, storage and bot-tling areas. Unauthorized people or customers or suppliers or visitors should notbe allowed to enter the processing and bottling areas. Acceptable arrangements areshown in Figure 21.1 in which crossover of dirty and clean areas is avoided.


Or

1

Inputs

Inputs

Outputs

Outputs

2

3

4

3 2

4 1

Figure 21.1 The logistics and separation of functional areas in an olive mill.

• Supporting services and functions must be separated from the four main areas,in particular:

– administration offices

– laboratory for chemical analyses and panel tasting room

– toilets and locker rooms for workers

– heating and conditioning plant and power station

– repair and maintenance shop

– storage of packaging materials

– storage of chemicals and detergents

– retail shop

• Buildings should be dry and waterproof because dampness facilitates contam-ination. Water leaks and stagnant water should be avoided.

21.2 HYGIENE OF THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT AND BUILDINGS 267

• Floors should be self-draining, nonslippery, resistant to corrosion bycleaning and sanitizing agents, with rounded angles and edges to facilitatecleaning. Floors should be designed to minimize physical entrapment ofsoiling material.

• Walls should be smooth, coated with impermeable and washable material.

• Floor and wall openings for lines or pipes should be adequately protected toprevent any contamination.

• Doors and windows should be designed to prevent intrusion of contaminatedair, rodents, birds and insects and they should be easy to clean and disinfect.

• The processing room should have a minimal number of windows because theyare usually difficult to clean. Windows should be hermetically sealed duringplant operation.

• Direct access from the outside or from dirty areas to the processing areas mustbe avoided.

• Natural or artificial lighting should provide appropriate light intensity (forexample: 220 lux in the processing area, 540 lux in points needing inspection).Light bulbs should have safety protection to prevent contamination in theevent of breakage;

• Condensed water dripping from the air conditioning system should be avoided.The conditioning system should be accessible for periodic inspection andcleaning as well as filter replacement.

• Air flow must be directed from the finished product and clean areas toward theraw material and dirty areas.

Rodents and insects are a constant challenge because they like olive oil and takeadvantage of any dirt and weakness in physical barriers. Direct and indirect measuresto prevent their entrance to the oil factory must be implemented, for example:

• seal any cracks, scratches or fissures in the walls, doors and windows withappropriate material;

• carefully insulate ducts and piping of telephone and electric cables;

• use double automatic doors for access to the processing rooms from the outside;

• provide mosquito nets on all the windows;

• protect the outside opening of the sewage system from intruders with nets hav-ing 5 mm wide maximum openings;

• maintain an environment that does not attract rodents and other vermin –periodic cutting of wild grass and weeds on the outside of the factory;


• remove waste materials from external and internal areas. Regularly empty andclean waste containers;

• avoid conditions that create a warm, humid microenvironment inside thefactory.

21.3 Hygiene of the plant

The hygienic design of a plant is such a critical requisite for product safety andquality that Annex 21.1 is devoted to a detailed presentation of this subject.

Equipment should be designed to ensure that it can be adequately cleaned, dis-infected and maintained to avoid contamination of the oil. It should be durable andmovable or capable of being disassembled to allow for maintenance, cleaning, dis-infection and inspection for pests.

The following points should be considered:

• Before buying a new plant or part of it, the plant supplier should give all theinformation concerning its hygienic design and the best practice for maintain-ing a high hygienic standard during processing. The processing equipmentmust have built-in hygiene; it must be constructed with smooth, impervious,food-grade materials.

• Walls nearby and the floor around and under the equipment must be accessiblefor easy cleaning.

• Equipment must comply with the laws protecting workers’ health and safety,in order to avoid mechanical or electrical accidents or exposure to excessivenoise. Inappropriate ergonomics must be avoided, especially heavy loads inhandling olives or oil containers.

• All parts of the plant must be cleaned daily. The cleaning-in-place system isthe best solution, but cleaning out-of-place may be needed periodically for spe-cific parts. The cleaning procedure should be described in a written document,readily available to the operators.

• All parts in contact with the oil should be automatically drainable, in order toavoid the presence of oil during periods of standstill.

• Systematic controls should be carried out in order to prevent parts of the plant(such as screws, gaskets or paint) from ending up in the product. Parts withsurface roughness due to corrosion or rust must be replaced because theyincrease the rate of dirty deposition during processing and are more difficultto clean.

• All the oil containers must always be covered so that the oil cannot be acci-dentally contaminated by extraneous material from the plant or people or theenvironment.

21.4 HYGIENE OF THE PERSONNEL 269

• The daily washing procedure may be carried out with hot potable water(60 ∘C) with disassembling and manual washing of points inaccessible to thefree flowing of warm water, while twice a week at least, washing should becarried out in four steps:

• rinsing with hot potable water (60 ∘C)

• washing correctly with appropriate detergents

• rinsing with potable water to eliminate detergent residues

• disassembling – manual washing – reassembling of points inaccessible tothe free flowing of detergent and rinsing water.

The washing procedure of all the equipment must be carried out after treatingbatches of unhealthy, rotten olives or when switching from traditionally to organi-cally grown olives.

21.4 Hygiene of the personnel

Workers and operators who come directly or indirectly into contact with the oil arenot likely to contaminate it if they maintain an appropriate degree of personal clean-liness and behave and operate in an appropriate manner. In particular:

• All workers and operators must attend a short, practical course on personalhygiene and the hygiene management system. They should understandhygienic implications in terms of consumer safety and company’s image andreputation.

• Good personal hygiene must be a habit for people working in an olive oil pro-cessing facility. Personnel should:

– have a daily bath or shower, with washing of hair

– keep nails trimmed and clean

– cover possible cuts and wounds with suitable waterproof dressings.

• The clothing used during work must be clean and should not be used outsidethe working area and work time. Clothing should be regularly changed andwashed. In order to avoid accidental dropping of items in the oil, clothing mustnot have breast pockets or buttons: clothing should be closed with adhesivetape.

• Plastic or rubber boots should be used in the working area.

• Hand washing and drying facilities should be accessible, easy to use, clean andfunctional.

• An adequate number of toilets of appropriate hygienic design should beavailable.


• Personnel should always wash their hands when personal cleanliness mayaffect oil safety, for example:

– at the start of oil handling activities

– immediately after using the toilet

– after handling olives or any contaminated material.

• People engaged in oil handling activities should refrain from behaviour thatcould result in contamination of the oil, for example:

– directly passing from a dirty into a clean area

– smoking in the processing area

– eating in the processing area

– introducing pets.

• The repeated use of cloths should be avoided in cleaning surfaces, especiallythose that can be in contact with the oil; suitable paper should be used onlyonce and thrown away after use.

21.5 Hygiene management system (HMS) and HACCP

21.5.1 General principles of HMS

Hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) is the name of a managementsystem especially designed to ensure food safety through systematic, documentedprevention of risks to food. First established in 1989 by the US National AdvisoryCommittee on Microbiological Criteria for Food, in 1997 HACCP was proposed asthe world reference system for food safety assurance by the UN/FAO Codex Ali-mentarius Commission, with the title ‘Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point(HACCP) System and Guidelines for Its Application’. Hazard analysis and criticalcontrol point is now being adopted worldwide and in some cases is mandatory.

In this handbook ‘hygiene management system’ (HMS) and HACCP are consid-ered as synonyms.

Risk analysis has been presented in Chapter 18 as a general method for identifyingpoints that are critical for achieving the company’s objectives, not only hygiene andfood safety objectives. On the other hand, management systems are presented inChapter 18 as systems that organizations can apply to meet product and processrequirements, including hygiene and consumer safety requirements.

Figure 21.2 is a version of Figure 18.1 (the structure of the management system)specifically adapted to the case of consumer safety and process hygiene. The com-pany’s policy about product safety and process hygiene (point 1 of Figure 21.2) canbe defined in different ways. A minimalistic approach involves planning a systemmerely conforming to the compulsory hygienic standards. On the other hand, a

21.5 HMS AND HACCP 271

2. Consumer safetyrequirements and

standards

3. Process hygienerequirements and

standards

1. The company’shygiene and oil safety

policy

feedback

feedback

4. The managementsystem

4.1. control ofconsumer safetyrequirements

4.2. Control ofprocess hygienicstandards

4.3. general controlprocedures:documentation,training

4.4. audit andsystem review

Figure 21.2 The structure of a Hygiene Management System (HMS) of an olive mill factory.

company can decide that oil safety and process hygiene also have an important valuein terms of the company’s reputation and consumer trust. This can be especiallyimportant in the case of direct selling of the oil at the factory and in the case ofconsumer and customer visits.

Consumer safety requirements (point 2 of Figure 21.2) are defined by laws. How-ever, special attention can be given to product contamination, especially in the caseof olive oil purchased from commercial partners. For instance, when buying a non-filtered extra-virgin olive oil, it may be useful to carry out filth tests in order toidentify particulate contaminants. This analysis, which is fast and cheap, can offervaluable information about the hygiene of the supplying factory. Periodical analysesof environmental contaminants can be planned to test for environmental pollution.

The hygienic requirements of the process (point 3 of Figure 21.2) can be limitedto legal prescriptions or stricter requirements can be defined, at the company’s will,for the hygiene of buildings, plants and people. Special care should be given to thehygiene of the external surrounding space of the factory and to the prevention ofbad odour pollution. The hygienic design of plants or the control of process water


potability can be the object of systematic attention and control as these may be weakpoints of the process.

Consumer safety requirements – whether requested by the law or voluntarilydefined by the company – should be the object of evaluation and control (point4.1 of Figure 21.2) depending on risk. If the risk of nonconformity is low, analyticalevaluation can be disregarded or carried out occasionally. If the risk of nonconfor-mity is significant, evaluation and control should be planned on a more frequent andsystematic basis.

The control of process hygienic standards (point 4.2 of Figure 21.2) should bedefined through a careful risk analysis. This is the point where risk analysis con-tributes to the definition of the management system.

Table 18.9 in Annex 2 of Chapter 18 presents an example of evaluation of thehygienic risk gravity in an extra-virgin olive oil process. Table 21.1 presents anelaboration of the data in Table 18.9 with some further details and comments.

From the analysis of Table 21.1, decisions can be taken.Finally, points 4.3 and 4.4 of Figure 21.2 must be applied as explained in

Chapter 18.

Table 21.1 Critical points for hygiene in an olive oil mill (elaborated from Table 18.9).

Risk gravity Critical point Risk treatment

High Overall hygienecondition of themilling factory

Prevent contamination from the environment, people,pets, and the atmosphere (particulate, volatilecompounds, smoke, dust). Control of pest infestation.Standard Hygiene Procedures (SHP) may be requiredfor the prevention of specific risks depending on thefactory site and operation.

Moderate The packagingoperation

SHP may be required for preventing particulatecontamination in containers, especially glassfragments in bottles. The risk can be eliminated byin-line equipment for air blowing of containers justbefore filling.

Moderate Pesticide residues Prevention of pesticide residues fully depends onpesticide treatments at the olive grove. Therefore, thepreventive measure in this case is a contractagreement with olive producers, with suitableinspection and occasional analytical check. Pesticideand rodenticide treatments at the milling factory mustbe carried out by specialists according to well plannedand carefully implemented SHP, with systematicrecording of activities from trap capture to treatment.

Low Environmentalcontaminants suchas PCBs, PAHs, etc.

This was considered as a low gravity risk in Table 18.9.In this case only occasional analytical checks areplanned. Depending on factory and olive-grovelocation, this point can require specific SHP.


Table 21.2 Decisions about consumer safety and process hygiene management.

Risk Management decision

Hygiene of buildings Risk preventionA written procedure for the cleaning and maintenance of

buildings with well-defined responsibilities, frequency,materials and methods

Hygiene of plant andmachinery

Risk preventionA written procedure for plant cleaning and maintenance with

well-defined responsibilities, frequency, materials andmethods

Rodent and insect OutsourcingContract agreement with specialized companies. An internal

inspection should be systematically carried out.Personal hygiene of workers

and employeesRisk preventionA written procedure for personal hygiene with well-defined

responsibilities, frequency, materials and methodsWaste handling and treatment Risk prevention

A written procedure for waste handling and treatmentPesticide residues Outsourcing.

A contract agreement with olive producers; periodicalinspection; occasional analyses of residues

Particulate contaminants inbottles and other containers

Risk eliminationIn-line air blowing of containers

21.5.2 Documentation of the hygiene management system (the HMSmanual)

All information and decisions about hygiene management should be part of a moregeneral document, the HMS manual. This manual may be organized to perfectlymatch the requirements of a HACCP manual.

Summary of the HMS manual

First section: presentation of the company, the factory, the process andthe product

This part includes the company’s name and address; the consumer safetyand process hygiene policy; products, process and business; main availableresources in terms of people with their respective roles and responsibilities,buildings, plants, and plant facilities. A process flow-chart and a plantlayout can be presented to better represent the system and its technicalfeatures.


Second section: presentation of risk analysis results

This section is very important because it shows the company’s approach andcommitment to interested parties, including public officers, customers andconsumers. A figure similar to Figure 21.2 and tables similar to Tables 18.9,21.1 and 21.2, can be presented in this section in order to show how and whythe final decisions about the critical control points were made.

Third section: standard hygiene procedures (SHP)

This part, representing the operating standards and procedures of the system,includes:

00. Occasional product or environmental analyses (to be defined)

01. SHP of cleaning and maintenance of buildings

02. SHP of cleaning and maintenance of the plant

03. Contract agreement for rodent and insect control (outsourcing)

04. SHP of personal hygiene of workers and employees

05. SHP of waste handling and treatment

06. Contract agreement for pesticide treatment in the olive groves andGeneral Control Procedures:

07. Documentation

08. Training of employees and workers

09. Internal audits and system review

It is suggested that the standard hygiene procedures (SHP) listed in the manualshould be presented in a standard format.

The possible scheme of a Standard Hygiene Procedure (SHP)

A SHP should include:

1. A code identifying the procedure.

2. The date of last updating.

3. The aim of the procedure and also an indication of what the consequencescan be in case of a careless application of the procedure. Evaluation oranalyses should be defined to evaluate the effectiveness of the procedure


in preventing the risk or in reducing its impact on the safety and hygieneobjectives.

4. The person who is responsible for implementing the procedure and forverifying its effectiveness

5. The description of the activities to be carried out. Schemes and drawingscan be added to explain in an easy-to-understand way what should bedone. Notifications can also be placed at the work site to remind theoperators what they are expected to do

6. The data to be recorded. A format may be suggested or preprinted fordata registration. Formats for registration, observation, comments orsuggestions by the operators can be included


Annex 21.1: Hygienic design

Hygienic design and correct installation and maintenance of a plant should:

• guarantee protection of food products from contamination and any equipmentleaks;

• avoid dirt buildup, which may result in possible micro-organism and verminproliferation in dead legs (components of a piping system that normally haveno significant flow) or places that are inaccessible for cleaning and disinfection;

• facilitate cleaning and disinfecting operations to make them easier and moreeffective.

Faster cleaning allows processing times to be prolonged and plants to operate atlower costs. Cleaning of plants is an issue that cannot be tackled after plant buildingand installation, but must be specifically included in the planning stage. A detailedinquiry on this issue is recommended when purchasing.

The main sources of detail and thorough description about hygienic designof plant, fittings and equipment are: the 3-A Sanitary Standards, Inc. (3-A SSI,www.3-a.org) and the European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group (EHEDG,www.ehedg.org).

The leadership of 3-A SSI includes the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) andthe US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The EHEDG actively supports European legislation. Within the European Com-munity, all fittings and equipment are required to comply with requirements spec-ified in Chapter V of Annex II of Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004. They are to be:(i) effectively cleaned and, when necessary, disinfected; (ii) so constructed as to min-imize any risk of contamination; (iii) installed in such a manner as to allow adequatecleaning of equipment and the surrounding area.

A number of basic application elements relevant to the oil sector have been drawnfrom several published standards and guidelines and are summarized in the follow-ing points.

General aspects

• Since the hygienic design of a plant depends on the constructor, it is advisablethat the purchaser, when purchasing, requires both to view the relevant hygienicdesign manual and to receive a list of all building solutions to guarantee thehygienic conditions of the plant. This list can be a useful reminder for anychanges and maintenance operations to be performed on plants. It is commonfor a plant that has been designed and built according to hygienic standardsto become less hygienic and less safe over years, as a result of inappropriateservice activities and changes.

ANNEX 21.1: HYGIENIC DESIGN 277

• Equipment should be installed in such a way that it can be accessed fromall sides and raised to allow for thorough cleaning of the underlying floor.All outer surfaces should be appropriate to minimize dirt residues, growth ofmicro-organisms, and avoid becoming shelters for insects and rodents. Plantsmust be, and appear to be clean, giving an impression of order and care evento outside observers and visitors.

• Platform-mounted plants are preferable, as they can be periodically (e.g., incase of annual extraordinary maintenance) removed to facilitate both inspectionand cleaning of supports, drains, etc.

• Connections that require product transfer between machines must be as shortas possible. The best solution may often be a vertical development of plants,using gravity conveyors.

• Machines must be connected in such a way as to allow the process to developas linearly as possible, without any crossing over and flow recycling.

• Plants must be easy to disassemble and, if possible, allow for visual inspectionof all surfaces, which come into contact with the product. It should be takeninto account that, in specific cases, some plant parts must be disassembled andcleaned manually. Instructions for cleaning of plants must clearly indicate theplants involved, the service intervals, and so on.

Materials and surfaces

• All surfaces in contact with extra-virgin olive oil must be made of inert, con-sistent materials according to legal requirements.

• All surfaces in contact with food must be smooth and nonporous. Surface fin-ishing specifications for stainless steel surfaces for food use are reported inISO/R 2037 (1972) and ISO 468 (1982) standards. Equipment made of iron,copper, bronze, etc. must be absolutely avoided, as they may release oxidationcatalysers to the oil.

• All gaskets must comply with legal requirements for food quality and benonabsorbent, correctly installed, exposed to cleaning flow, and periodicallyinspected and replaced.

• All product contact surfaces must be resistant to all cleaning and antimicrobialagents at the full range of operating pressures and temperatures.

Hygienic design principles and devices

A large number of precautions are required to guarantee the hygienic conditions ofeach plant and plant detail. The following is a brief reference list of specificationsthat every extra-virgin olive oil business should take into consideration when bothpurchasing plants and implementing maintenance operations and changes.


• All product contact surfaces must be self-draining. All plant parts must beself-emptying. It must be possible to remove by gravity the oil contained ina plant, without building up residues in blind bottom portions and non-self-draining wells.

• The use of O-rings in contact with the product is not allowed in hygienicequipment and piping systems. Avoid metal-to-metal joints other thanwelding. Avoid misalignment of pipe connections.

• Avoid contact of product with screw threads and crevices. This can be achievedeither by using appropriate gaskets or – even better – by creating outer joints(Figure 21.3). Checks must be performed regularly to avoid the risk of screwsand joints loosening and dropping into the product.

• Sharp corners are not allowed. The minimum radius of corners is 3 mm.

• Clamps connecting flexible and rigid materials must be as close as possibleto the product side to minimize entrapment of product between the rigid andflexible surfaces (Figure 21.4).

Wrong CorrectPr

oduc

t sid

eProd

uct s

ide

Metal backedrubber gasket

Figure 21.3 Avoid contact of product with screw thread and crevices because product and micro-organisms may accumulate in these non-cleanable places (Zanoni 1993).

ANNEX 21.1: HYGIENIC DESIGN 279

Wrong Correct

Extra clamps may be usedto reinforce the joint

Product residue

Figure 21.4 Clamps connections between flexible and rigid materials.

Wrong

Correct

Weld

Figure 21.5 Insulation should be protected from entrance of water or product.

• Insulating layers, which are typically defined as nonporous, must be protectedfrom entrance of water and product. The coating must be waterproof andwelded, not jointed (Figure 21.5).

• The product path should be designed to avoid dead legs, where product residuesmay build up. Attention should be paid when installing measuring instruments,level indicators, agitators, etc. (Figure 21.6).

• All product containers, mixing and holding vessels, must have a lid.

• All pipes, on which condensation may form, must be kept distant from producthandling points, however not located directly over processing equipment.


Wrong Correct

Figure 21.6 Examples of equipment with and without dead legs.

• Motors and gear cases must have an underlying sump to collect liquid lubricantto avoid it from dripping on the floor or plant parts.

• It should be mentioned that ball valves and horizontal pipes are more difficultto clean. Pipes must be appropriately sloped to allow for easy self-draining.

• Never make holes in walls where soil residues may be trapped and bacteria canaccumulate and multiply.

• Promptly remove and renew cracked or peeled paint to avoid it from droppinginto the product.

• Regularly check and remove any deposit, fouling and rust.

REFERENCE 281

Figure 21.7 Recommended positions of unavoidable dead legs.

• Avoid misalignment of pipe connections and other devices in contact withequipment and the building structure to prevent soil residues from remainingtrapped outside the plants.

• If dead legs are unavoidable, special care must be taken in the design and properinstallation, which must be discussed and agreed upon in advance with theplant’s supplier. The depth of the dead legs must be less than their diameter.Under no circumstances must downward dead legs be present, as they are notself-draining (Figure 21.7).

• Conveyor belts are often difficult to clean and can be sources of contamination.Rather, when possible, conveyor belts with PVC surface and polyester framesshould be used, as they are easy to clean and involve minimal contamination.Drive chains must be easily loosened, and easy to clean and separated from theconveyor surface area.

Reference

Zanoni, C. (1993) “Igiene degli impianti”. In: C. Peri. SAGI – Sistema Aziendale diGaranzia dell’Igiene nelle industrie agro-alimentari, pp. 41–56, Milano: CentroStudi sull’alimentazione Gino Alfonso Sada, Italy.


Further reading

CAC/RCP 1-1969, Rev. 4-2003 (2003) General Principles of Food Hygiene. Haz-ard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) System and Guidelines for itsApplication (Annex). Codex Alimentarius Commission, Rome.

International Olive Oil Council (2006) Quality Management Guide for the Olive OilIndustry: Olive Oil Mills. International Olive Oil Council, Madrid.

ISO 22000:2005 (2005) Food Safety Management Systems – Requirements for AnyOrganization in the Food Chain, International Standards Organization, Geneva.

ISO/TS 22004:2005 (2005) Food Safety Management Systems – Guidance on theApplication of ISO 22000:2005, International Standards Organization, Geneva.

Peri C., Lavelli V. and Marjani A. (2004) La sicurezza alimentare e l’HACCP,in Qualità nelle Aziende e nelle Filiere Agroalimentari, Hoepli, Milano, Italy,Ch. 10.

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