Hygiene in manufacturing process
The onion lots are graded as per the size & quality and then peeled. The top layer of the raw onion bulbs is removed. The peeled onions are washed by agitation and are then sliced in the slicing machine. Strict hygiene is maintained while washing.
Sliced onions are fed in the imperial dryer for dehydration without effecting the taste and pungency. Dehydrated onions are shifted to clean air conditioned rooms and fed into the kibbling machine to obtain the kibbled form. The skins are then removed from the kibbled with blowers.
Further impurities are removed through imported colour auto sortex machine. The product is passed through high power magnetic sticks and metal detectors to remove all metal impurities.
As per the buyer specification, kibbled undergoes milling and sizing process. The produce is separated into chopped, minced and granules vide gyratory screens. The finished product are weighed and sealed in moisture proof food grade poly bags. The bags are packed in corrugated boxes or paper bags.
“We use Dodia machine, that comes with a boiler for water, which helps circulate the radiator and generates heat and dehydrate onion,” he informed. The equipment are taken up for cleaning every 10 days. The 12-hour cleaning process consists of first cleaning using air and then water with the help of 15 labourers. Cleaning solutions are sprayed on equipment surfaces using either fixed or portable spraying units with hot water or steam.
These methods are extensively used in the food industry. There are vacuums available in the market, which not only protect food products from harmful bacteria, allergens and insects. These are advanced cleaning solutions that meet specific food safety and quality demands – limiting cross contamination in production lines; increasing compliance with the Food & Drug Administration’s GMPs and the HACCPs; and preventing allergen-related product recalls. The machines stop the spread of dangerous pathogens otherwise spread via brooms, mops, rags, compressed air, even inadequately filtered vacuums. Today, vacuums are deployed in the packaging processes of major food-industry customers like Kraft, Hershey and Nestle.
Talking about the cleaning of onions in the dehydration unit, Milap from Amul Dehydration, Junagadh said, “The roots of the onions are removed manually and then washed with the help of rotators, which is connected through a Feeding belt and Shaft, in the unit. The onion is washed in a container located at a height of five feet and then dropped into the processor. Recovery of raw material is negligible as the chances of spoilage, in this case, are one in 500 onions.” Two kilogrammes of wafers can be processed from 20kg of onions.
Chemicals are not used during the process, as it is mostly exported and they are used to maintain whiteness. The capacity of the plant is six metric tonnes.
According to Hasmukhbhai Senta, Jalaram Food, Junagadh, “Onion is generally washed with plain water and washing chemicals in a very small quantity. The workflow process involves washing, peeling, cutting, spinning, dehydrating, kibbling and finally packing. “We use chemicals for floor cleaning only.”
In a recent FDA survey, less than 50% of candy, ice cream and baked-goods manufacturers are employing procedures to control cross-contamination of foods with allergens. The Department of Agriculture recommends that food companies adopt SSOPs and proper cleaning practices with careful vacuuming.
Designed to meet the general plant cleaning and maintenance needs of food manufacturers, vacuum machine is powered by two independent bypass motors, which can fit both 30 and 55-gal. drums, allowing users to recycle drums that are abundant in nearly every production plant. An optional float chamber and washable cartridge filter allows the vacuums to pick up both wet and dry materials. The machine can also be fitted with an upstream HEPA filter for pick-up of hazardous materials down to and including 0.3 microns in size.
Informed Bhupatbhai Koradiya, World Dehydration Foods and Spices, “The machine used by us in vacuum cleaning is called Air compressor, which costs rupees four lakhs. It blows fast air into the machine of dimensions 20ft x 50ft to extract the waste. Shutters are opened during the process of cleaning the machine.”
Ozone technology has held promise for food processors for decades. Today, it is emerging as a versatile technology that can be used in a wide variety of applications that include disinfecting water supplies, wastewater treatment and a variety of plant cleaning and sanitation functions.
There are many air compressors manufacturers in India but the trend is now towards developing sustainable, durable and efficient products. Domestic air compressor costs र85,000. It is an automated machine and there are hoses attached to it, which clean the entire machine in five hours time.
Hydraulic cleaning systems are frequently utilised for cleaning the exterior parts of equipment, floors and some building surfaces. High pressure cleaning is based on atomisation of the cleaning compound through a high pressure spray nozzle. Steam injection systems and pressure-fed tanks generally operate with nozzle pressures between 60-175psi, whereas air and motor-driven high pressure pumps may develop nozzle pressures from 300-1200psi. Cleaning effectiveness is dependent largely upon the force of the cleaning solution against the surface, which is controlled by the nozzle design.
“Some dehydration units use Hypo chemical with water to clean onion for ensuring its whiteness. We use two litres of hypo chemical daily, says one of the manufacturer.”
The primary reason for the application of effective sanitizing procedures is to reduce those disease organisms which may be present on equipment or utensils after cleaning to a safe level and thus preventing the transfer of such organisms to the ultimate consumer. In addition, sanitizing procedures may prevent spoilage of foods. The existence of any microbe in a food environment must strictly be controlled. The so-called harmless microbe under the proper conditions can become a nuisance.
Manubhai Ram from Rajdhani Dehydration, Bhavnagar said, “Three tanks are used for washing and cutting with drier (which has radiators) to dehydrate into three grading material – powder material, main granules and chops. We source Hypo chemicals from Rajkot – to kill germs and to make it white. There are different chemicals for cooling towers and radiators.
One relatively recent approach is the ultrasonic cleaning tanks in which equipment is immersed in a cleaning solution and cleaned by the scrubbing action of microscopic bubbles caused by high frequency vibrations (20,000-40,000 cycles per second).
