Inexpensive Device for CIP Cleaning of the Inside of a Beef Carcass Spray Chamber1,2

Abstract

An automated device for spray-type cleaning-in-place of a beef carcass washer constructed of linear polyethylene was evaluated by microbiological tests. Swabbing of seams at the welded joints, followed by plating of the swab rinse solution, disclosed that cleaning reduced counts by more than 99%. The average number of microorganisms recovered from seams after cleaning was 80/cm2. However, it was necessary also to manually clean certain joints weekly. Flat surfaces were quite adequately cleaned according to results of tests with RODAC plates. With RODAC plates, numbers of yeasts and molds recovered on potato dextrose acid agar were better indicators of sanitary condition than numbers of coliforms on violet red bile agar or numbers of staphylococci on Baird-Parker agar.