ABSTRACT
Food safety is of paramount importance for the design and operation of any food manufacturing facility, primarily because food safety cannot be compromised and is non-negotiable. Microbes are without a doubt of significant concern in food manufacturing. Disinfection is typically achieved through chemical or thermal inactivation of microbes. Disinfection or sanitization refers to the inactivation of pathogens and microbes, which occurs at different rates for different microbes depending on the inactivation approach. This chapter highlights the main engineering considerations for effective cleaning and disinfection in the food industry. With food fouling being so variable, formulated detergents may not have a substantial cleaning benefit over non-formulated detergents. Microbes are without a doubt of significant concern in food manufacturing. Fouling of membranes is the most critical aspect of economic balances when applying membrane filtration to a food manufacturing operation. The actual mechanism and kinetic parameters that control fouling are different for various food matrices and process conditions.
