ABSTRACT
The safety and quality of products depends to a large extent on proper cleaning and disinfection of machines, equipment, tools, installations, process lines and rooms. The extent of and the problems in cleaning depend on factors such as whether there has been a heat or acid coagulation of the protein residues and the fat content of the dirt. Cleaning and disinfection agents can be classified into two groups according to their mode of action: mechanical means, and chemical means. Like cleaning agents, disinfection agents can be classified into physical and chemical modes of action. Disinfection is the complete inactivation of all pathogenic microorganisms and the reduction of all non-pathogenic microorganisms to such a low level, they do not detract from the quality of the products. Mathematically, the cleaning and disinfection effect shows a logarithmic pattern, which means, among other things, that neither dirt nor microorganisms can be removed completely or completely inactivated.
