'Hygienic design': what does that mean?
In the food & pharma industry it is very important that parts of the installation that come into contact with the product are designed hygienically. But what does it mean, a "hygienic design"?
Hygienic design is relevant in the following industries:
- Food industry
- Beverage industry
- Pharmaceutical industry
- Chemical industry
- Cosmetic industry
- Biotechnology
What do you have to take into account?
When a machine is designed with hygienic design in mind, the following questions have been taken into account:
- Which areas / parts come into contact with the product?
- Which guidelines must be followed?
- Which materials can be used (inert, non-toxic)?
- What temperature stability must be taken into account?
- What is the quality of the surface? (Surfaces and joints must be smooth. There must be no grooves or indentations for organic matter or microorganisms to accumulate.)
- The number of connections should be kept to a minimum.
- All areas that come into contact with the product must be easy to clean. There should be no dead spaces.
Safe production due to hygienic design
Hygienic design must be considered in all parts of the plant that come into direct contact with the product to be produced. An important factor is the optimisation of cleanability. In order to achieve these objectives, a number of standards have been developed which must be taken into account when designing machines and installations.
Piping, tanks, pumps, etc. must be designed in accordance with the rules of hygienic design. All materials must be of high quality and resistant to aggressive cleaning agents.
If this is not done properly, bacteria may develop in the food residues left behind. This can ultimately lead to it ending up in the final product. Then the product is unusable for the consumer and leads to losses for the manufacturer.
The ultimate goals of a good hygienic design for the machine builder or end producer are:
- Produce safe products
- Reduction of downtime
- Low cleaning and maintenance times
All information collected in one PDF
Rechner Sensors produced a document to provide an overview of a large number of solutions, materials and standards. In this PDF you will find information about standards and solutions for industrial automation or installation technology in areas where a hygienic design is necessary.
Rechner Sensors is a specialist in the field of Food & Pharma applications.
Products for the food & pharma industry
The following products from our range are ideally suited for use in the food & pharma industry:
