ABSTRACT
Cleaning in place (CIP) technology can clean appropriately designed process equipment and interconnecting piping without disassembly or reconfiguration. CIP methodology and equipment developed in 1950s for dairy plant processes and its implementation greatly reduced manual intervention and time required to clean process equipment, while improving quality and extending product shelf life. Food production should take place in equipment and lines that can be cleaned preferably with automated CIP circuit. Unhygienic configurations should be avoided and at the same time monitoring of the operation has to be at an adequate level. Mathematical modeling of CIP processes has mostly focused on flows and development of cleaning rates on surfaces of difficult to clean equipment, such as heat exchangers. A CIP installation or modification is usually a retrofit process in an existing line. Many food components that are responsible for fouling in the food industry have been studied with regards to their removal from stainless steel surfaces under CIP conditions.
