Hose Cleaning and Sterilisation

When talking about food and beverage hoses, we are speaking about performance, quality, hygiene, cleanliness, and safety warranty. These are concepts that must be ingrained in this kind of product and are achieved thanks to cleaning processes that they can withstand.

Industrial Trading Solutions Ltd understand the high standards required in hygienic environments and the challenges these can present. With Venair you can be sure that hose will be one less thing you have to worry about.

Why is the cleaning process important when selecting hose?

During hose selection, it is vitally important to consider the cleaning and sterilisation process since this can affect the mechanical properties and the behaviour of the materials used. It can also determine the useful life of the hose due to the aging effect.

Sterilisation and cleaning are important and necessary processes that eliminate contamination due to transport, storage, handling, or usage. So, it is highly recommended doing it prior to each use to prevent microorganisms’ growth or harmful contamination that can damage the product inside the tube.

What are the most common cleaning methods?

Sterilisation and cleaning can be made following two main different methods: with chemical solutions (Clean In-Place/ CIP) or using steam at high temperature (Sterilisation in-place/ SIP).

In the CIP process the following media are used in different concentrations:

• Basic solutions (such as caustic soda) used to remove fat and protein part
• Acid solutions (for example phosphoric acid) to eliminate mineral deposits
• Oxidising acids or other oxidising products (nitric acid, peracetic acid, hydrogen peroxide) to remove bacterial load

SIP cleaning is used also to remove bacterial growth.

How to select the best hose for your cleaning process?

As commented previously, the cleaning process used can determine the useful life or the behaviour of the hose material due to mechanical and chemical stress that occurs during the sanitising procedure. Therefore, there are some aspects that need to be considered when choosing one process over another (such as temperature, concentration, time…). Also is important to monitor the physical condition of the hoses after every period of sterilisation. 

This table shows the sterilisation processes and the general conditions for each one for the main materials used in the ITS range of Venair´s food & pharma tube. (It is based on tests and generally available sources, and it should be used only as a guide since it does not take into consideration other variables that may affect the hose).

Would you like more information?

Visit the ITS website to see the full range of Venair Hose available from us:

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