Save Dough with Fast and Efficient Bakery Cleaning

Yeast, flour and water are essential for most baking projects. However, if you don’t properly clean your manufacturing equipment, these three ingredients can also be a medium for bacterial growth. Dangerous food pathogens can contaminate products and cause untold problems.

In addition, with the increased awareness of allergies to staples, such as wheat, peanuts, tree nuts and eggs, many bakeries now provide allergen-free products to their consumers. Adequately cleaning and sanitizing equipment, without requiring hours of expensive labor and loss of productivity, grows as a concern for all automated bakery operations.

"Efficient bakery plant management requires CIP (clean-in-place) practices of most production equipment," says Evan Reyes, Specialist for the food service industry at Goodway Technologies. CIP reduces the frequency of having to partially dismantle equipment, including the removal of conveyor belts. Bakeries also keep their post-baking production line dry to inhibit mold growth. Thus, production teams need to resort to approved dry cleaning techniques.

Dry cleaning typically requires manual brushing and scraping, which is costly in terms of both, lost production time and in labor. If the dry cleaning process is not completed thoroughly, it can be ineffective and allow bacteria to taint food, or allow allergens to cross-contaminate entire production runs.

According to Evan, Goodway offers several proven solutions for improving dry cleaning practices in bakeries. When used correctly, you have guaranteed results.

Industrial HEPA Vacuums

“Our industrial vacuums and explosion proof vacuums with HEPA filters, fit into hard-to-reach areas and equipment,” Evan says. This allows for the efficient removal of large quantities of dry ingredients, including explosive ingredients, food allergens, such as peanuts, or wheat flour. To make the process more efficient, Evan says that Goodway custom manufactures vacuum attachments for clients. This allows for the cleaning of virtually any equipment configuration, or modification. Goodway has also developed explosion proof vacuums, which are essential for cleaning silo rooms and other areas where flour is being vacuumed in large quantities, or may be present in the air.

Dry Steam Technology

In addition, Goodway is a leading developer of dry vapor steam technology. Dry vapor steam has only a 5% water content and is safe to use around screws, bearings and sensitive electronics. Dry vapor steam from Goodway reaches 290°F. When used on stainless steel equipment, the heat transfer raises stainless steel surfaces to nearly the same temperature.

This level of cleaning is remarkably effective for inhibiting the growth of mold. An added benefit is that dry steam helps control pests, by removing their source of scrap food and by heating the underside of equipment where they may hide.

Conveyor Belts

According to Evan, Goodway also offers a unique manifold for cleaning flat, solid conveyor belts. The manifold sits over the belt. The attachment first projects a line of dry steam to loosen stuck on food particles and then has a line of vacuum that connects to the HEPA filtered system. For removing allergens, the system has been proven in the market to remove 100% of peanut, soy and egg residue from flat, solid, homogenous, polyurethane belts. The cleaning process usually takes six complete circuits of the belt. Evan explains that Goodway also has a unique Jet System for cleaning in place and sanitizing flush grid (mesh) conveyor belts and eliminating mold concerns associated with mesh belts.

Of course, every bakery operation is different. Goodway frequently customizes equipment to fit the specific needs of a bakery. Goodway’s objective is a solution that works 100% of the time. “I’m more like a consultant than a salesman,” Evan explains. “Customers rely on me to recommend the best solution and then to validate the cleaning process for them.”