ABSTRACT
The main purpose of cleaning solids handling equipment is
to prevent microbial contamination to the food processed.
By the very nature of solids handling processes, any
deposit on the wall is not likely to affect the movement of
the product through the plant. By contrast, fouling deposits
in liquid systems act as an insulator reducing the heat
transfer coefficients in heat exchangers, which must be
oversized thus increasing the capital cost of the plant. In
extreme cases, the foulant can block the flow channels
resulting in very short production runs, for example in
ultra high temperature (UHT) sterilization of dairy
products.
