Cleaning & Sanitation

Cleaning & Sanitation

• To be successful in the art and science of brewing, a brewer
must possess a wide variety of skills and talents.

• A modern brewer must have knowledge and skill in diverse

areas such as biochemistry, microbiology, and
engineering…..

• ….but, of all of the skills that are important to a brewer, the

single most important, practical skill a brewer can have is the
ability to properly clean and sanitize brewing equipment !

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 2

 Cleaning & Sanitation
• No other step in the brewing process can undo the damage
that may result from poor attention to detail in the cleaning
and sanitation steps of the brewing process.

• Many different kinds of bacteria have the potential to ruin

your lovingly prepared wort.

• Because bacteria thrive in a warm, moist environment (as

do yeast), your wort makes an ideal home for both yeast
and bacteria.

• To be a successful brewer, you must be a skilled “cleaner”

and “bacteria killer”.

There are many things that want to “eat” your wort !

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 3
 Cleaning & Sanitation
• Gram-negative Bacteria
• Acetic Acid Bacteria
• Zymomonas
• Enterobacteriaceae

• Gram-positive Bacteria
• Lactobacillus
• Pediococcus

• Wild Yeasts
• Saccharomyces
• Non-Saccharomyces

• Molds
Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 4
 Cleaning & Sanitation
• What is cleaning?

• What are your thoughts about what might be included in a

good definition of Cleaning?

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 5

 Cleaning & Sanitation
• What is sanitizing?

• What are your thoughts about what might be included in a

good definition of Sanitizing?

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 6

 Cleaning & Sanitation
• Cleaning is simply removing the dirt and scum from
your brewing equipment.

• Detergents and soaps are able to remove dirt and scum that
water alone will not.

• Soap and detergent molecules are comprised of long chains

of carbon and hydrogen atoms

• At one end of the chain is a group of atoms that is soluble in

water (hydrophilic). The remainder of the chain is not soluble
in water (hydrophobic) but is soluble in grease and other
types of organic matter.

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 7

 Cleaning & Sanitation

• The hydrophobic portion of the soap or detergent molecule

attaches itself to the organic matter on your brewing
equipment.

• The particles of grease or organic matter are then dislodged

and surrounded by the soap or detergent molecules.

• The grease or organic matter can then be carried off into the
wash water solution while surrounded by the soap or
detergent molecules.

• The organic material is “emulsified” by the soap or detergent

molecules.
Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 8
 Cleaning & Sanitation

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 9

 Cleaning & Sanitation

“First You Clean, Then You Sanitize”

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 10

 Cleaning & Sanitation
• Sanitizing is the act of applying either chemicals or heat
to your equipment in order to kill bacteria and reduce
the number of potential spoilage organisms present on
brewing equipment.

• Sanitizing does not kill all organisms.

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 11

 Cleaning & Sanitation
• To sanitize means to reduce the number of microorganisms
to a “safe” level.

• One legal definition states that a sanitizer must be capable

of killing 99.999% of a specific bacterial test population
within 30 seconds.

• An alternate definition is that a hard surface sanitizer is a

chemical agent that is capable of killing 99.9% of the
infectious organisms present in a bacterial population within
30 seconds.

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 12

 Cleaning & Sanitation
• How is sanitation different from sterilization?

• Your thoughts?

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 13

 Cleaning & Sanitation
• Sterilizing is the complete eradication of all spoilage
organisms

• The term sterilize conveys an absolute meaning; a

substance can not be partially sterile.

• Sterilization is not a practical option for brewers because it

is just not possible to kill every possible spoilage organism
that is present on every piece of your brewing equipment
using the tools and techniques that are typically available to
a brewer.

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 14

 Cleaning & Sanitation
• How sanitizers work

• When bacteria cells are exposed to a sanitizers or

disinfectant, irreversible damage occurs to the various
physical structures within the bacteria cell

• Sanitizers and disinfectants, work by either attacking a

specific part of the cell, or by causing damage to some of
the components of the cell.

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 15

 Cleaning & Sanitation
• Sanitizers and disinfectants (or germicides in general) may
attack bacteria cells in three ways:

‒ Destruction of the cell membrane

‒ Inhibition of food uptake and waste excretion

‒ Inactivation of critical enzymes

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 16

 Cleaning & Sanitation
• Cell Membrane Destruction

• Germicides such as sodium hypochlorite or peroxyacetic

acid (PAA), are strong oxidizing agents that react with the
molecules that comprise the bacteria’s cell membrane.

• This eventually causes a breach in the integrity of the cell

membrane and allows the vital components within the cell to
escape.

• This kills the cell.

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 17

 Cleaning & Sanitation
• Inhibition of Food Uptake and Waste Excretion

• Some germicides, such as the quaternary ammonium compounds

(quats), have the ability to chemically attach themselves onto specific
sites on the bacterial cell membrane.

• They have this ability because the molecules carry a positive electrical
charge in solution and are attracted to the negatively charged portions
of the bacterial cell membrane.

• Once attached, the quats block the uptake of nutrients into the cell and
prevent the excretion of metabolic waste products.

• These waste products accumulate within the cell. The cell is effectively
both starved and internally poisoned from the accumulated wastes.

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 18

 Cleaning & Sanitation
• Inactivation of Critical Enzymes

• Biocides, such as phenolics, work by entering the cell and

chemically reacting with certain key enzymes that support
cell growth, or by reacting with enzymes that support the
metabolic activities that supply the bacteria cell with energy.

• If enzyme inactivation is incomplete the injured bacteria can

possibly regenerate several hours later and re-contaminate
the surface.

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 19

 Cleaning & Sanitation
• There are many different kinds of sanitizers available to the
brewer:

‒ Acid Sanitizers (Fatty acids plus phosphoric acids or organic acids)

‒ Alcohols
‒ Aldehydes: (Formaldehyde and Glutaraldehyde)
‒ Chlorine Dioxide
‒ Hypochlorites
‒ Iodophors
‒ Peroxyacetic Acid (PAA)
‒ Phenolics
‒ Quaternary Ammonium Chlorides (QUATS)

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 20

 Cleaning & Sanitation
• Acid Sanitizers

• Acid sanitizers exhibit broad-spectrum germicidal activity.

They are also relatively unaffected by organic matter.

• Because of their low pH, acid sanitizers have the added

advantage of being able to react with hard water deposits
and so are ideal for use when hard water conditions exist.

• Because of their combined acid cleaning, free rinsing and

sanitization properties, they are also ideal for use in the
clean-in-place (CIP) systems that are typically found in
commercial breweries and food processing plants.

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 21

 Cleaning & Sanitation
• Alcohols

• Alcohols work by denaturing bacterial proteins. In the

absence of water, proteins are not readily denatured by
alcohol so a 70% solution of isopropyl alcohol is a much
more effective sanitizer than the pure (99%) isopropyl
alcohol.

• Isopropyl alcohol is capable of killing most bacteria within 5

minutes of exposure but is ineffective against spores and
viruses.

• A main disadvantages of isopropyl alcohol is its flammability.

Also, its effectiveness is greatly reduced if the alcohol
Fluidsolution
Dynamics Lecture 5- is
P 22 diluted, or if lots of organic matter is present.
 Cleaning & Sanitation
• Aldehydes: (Formaldehyde and Glutaraldehyde)

• Aldehydes are extremely reactive chemicals that combine with and

denature key bacterial proteins.

• They are generally not used for routine sanitization and their primary
application is for high-level disinfection. A 2% solution of either
compound exhibits sterilization properties over a given period.

• Formaldehyde can leave a residual film on the surfaces with which it

comes into contact and therefore it poses a potential health hazard.
Formaldehyde films can also combine with certain organic components
and impart an undesirable medicinal flavor.

• Because formaldehyde has been identified as a potential carcinogen, its

use is declining and limited to specific applications.
Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 23
 Cleaning & Sanitation
• Chlorine Dioxide

• Chlorine dioxide is a very powerful sanitizer and disinfectant that is

produced by reacting sodium chlorite in solution with an acid.
• The yellowish-green gas produced in this reaction is allowed to remain
in a closed system until it dissolves in the solution from which it was
generated. This aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide is then used for
sanitizing.
• Chlorine dioxide is 3 to 4 times as potent as sodium hypochlorite as a
sanitizing agent and is generally effective against all bacteria and
viruses.
• It does not have the disadvantages that sodium hypochlorite has with
respect to corrosivity of metal surfaces.
• Its main disadvantage is that the extremely reactive nature of the
sodium chlorite from which chlorine dioxide is generated poses a
serious potential fire hazard.
Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 24
 Cleaning & Sanitation
• Hypochlorites

• Household bleach is a solution that contains 3-6 % by weight sodium

hypochlorite. Because of their effectiveness and low cost, hypochlorites are
widely used in many different sanitization applications, and have become a
standard to which other sanitizers are compared.

• Hypochlorites exert their germicidal activity by destroying cell walls and

inactivating vital bacterial enzymes.

• A disadvantage of hypochlorites is that they are corrosive to metal surfaces

including stainless steel. Hypochlorites also degrade in strength with time and
are affected by the presence of organic matter.

• Their effectiveness is also pH dependent. Hypochlorites function best within the

narrow pH range (5-7) because hypochlorous acid formed at that pH is the
chemical component that actually performs the germicidal activity. High pH
waters (pH > 9) inhibits the sanitization effect of hypochlorites, and requires
longer exposure times to achieve the desired results.
Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 25
 Cleaning & Sanitation
• Iodophors

• Iodophors work in a way that is similar to hypochlorites but they do not act as
quickly. Iodophors attach themselves to proteins that contain sulfur in their
composition (cysteine), and inactivate them.

• Iodine solutions usually consist of elemental iodine that is complexed to a carrier

such as polyvinylpyrolidone (PVP) or to a non-ionic surfactant. The iodine carrier
provides a sort of sustained-release reservoir for the iodine. The iodine stays
bound to the carrier until the iodine concentration in the sanitizer solution falls
below a certain equilibrium level. Once this concentration level is reached,
additional free iodine is released into the solution.

• The main disadvantages of iodophors are that they can be highly staining on
many different types of surfaces, they work only within an acidic pH range and
they tend to evaporate away at temperatures greater that 35 °C.

• Iodophors are a popular no-rinse sanitizer used by brewers.

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 26
 Cleaning & Sanitation
• Peroxyacetic Acid (PAA)

• Peroxyacetic acid (also known as peracetic acid) is manufactured by

reacting acetic acid with hydrogen peroxide. PAA has grown in
popularity because of its effectiveness and friendliness to the
environment.

• PAA breaks down to form acetic acid (vinegar), water and oxygen.

• One of the major advantages of PAA is that it also work very well under
cold conditions (4°C). PAA solutions are generally used at
concentrations between 150 to 200 ppm and are highly effective against
a wide variety of bacteria and spores.

• PAA is more expensive than hypochlorite, but is generally cost effective

and is rapidly gaining in popularity among commercial institutions and
brewers.
Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 27
 Cleaning & Sanitation
• Phenolics

• Phenolics are effective at sanitization and remain effective in

the presence of organic matter.

• A disadvantage of phenolics is that they are relatively

expensive to use and they react with certain types of plastic
surfaces.

• They are also difficult to oxidize and therefore difficult and

expensive to dispose of in an environmentally suitable
manner.

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 28

 Cleaning & Sanitation
• Quaternary Ammonium Chlorides (QUATS)

• The Quats have varied germicidal activity and are generally used when
only low-level sanitization is required.

• Their main advantages are that they are odorless, non-staining, non-
corrosive to metals and are relatively non-toxic at typical use-dilution
concentrations.

• They exhibit broad germicidal activity when used in hard water and are
effective over a wide pH range.

• Quats leave a non-volatile residue on surfaces to which they are

applied, rendering the surfaces bacteriastatic for a given time. For this
reason they are probably not the best choice for use on brewing
equipment.
Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 29
 Cleaning & Sanitation
  Optimum pH Use Effect of Hard Effect of Germicidal Contact Time Comments
Category of Range for Concentration Water on Organics on Activity
Sanitizer Sanitizer Sanitizer Sanitizer
 
  1-3 200 ppm Activity reduced; Low reactivity Very Good 5-7 min Good for
Acid Sanitizers more sanitizer commercial
required brewing
applications
  5-8 70% No effect Activity reduced Moderate 5-10 min Some limited
Alcohols application for
brewing
  6-8 2% for Sterilization No effect  Activity reduced High < 1 min Not
Aldehydes recommended
  for brewing
  2-5 5 – 15 ppm No effect Little influence High, better than 2-3 min Good for
Chlorine hypochlorite commercial
Dioxide brewing
applications
  5-7 200 ppm max (50- Moderate Inactivated High 3-5 min Household
Hypochlorite 100 ppm tolerance bleach. Rinse
recommended) required.
  1-5 25 ppm Activity reduced; Reduced activity; Moderate, less 10-15 min No rinse
  more sanitizer but more stable effective than required. Drain
Iodophors required than hypochlorites equipment well.
hypochlorites
  3.5 - 5.5 150 – 200 ppm limited effect Reacts and High, better than 2-3 min No rinse
Peroxyacetic acid looses activity hypochlorite required. Drain
(PAA) equipment well.

  10.5 - 11.5 200 – 400 ppm Moderate Moderately stable Very good 5-7 min Not
Phenolics tolerance recommended
for brewing
 
  8 - 11 200 ppm Activity reduced Moderately Varied Varies Not
Quaternary Stable recommended
Ammonium for brewing
Chlorides (Quats)
Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 30
 Cleaning & Sanitation
• Cleaning & Sanitizing: “Big Picture” Summary

• The required concentration of the sanitizer chemical, the

required exposure time, and the solution pH are very
important considerations for brewers.

• Using a too-high concentration of either a no-rinse (e.g.

Star-San and the various iodophors), or a rinse-required
sanitizer (e.g. hypochlorite) may result in off-flavors in the
finished beer

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 31

 Cleaning & Sanitation
• All brewing equipment needs to be well cleaned before it is sanitized.
There are many ordinary and enzyme-enhanced soaps, detergents and
cleaning products that are commercially available (PBW, Sparkle-Brite,
Pro-Zyme) to help with this chore, but good attention to detail is critical.

• On brewing day, sanitize all brewing equipment that will contact cooled
wort. Sanitize by using one or more of the chemicals previously
described. None of them are absolutely perfect for every situation, but
there are plenty of options from which to choose. Pick the one that is
right for you

• Perform “preventive cleaning” on your brewing equipment. It is much

easier and less time consuming in the long run to keep your brewing
equipment clean rather than working much harder than is necessary to
clean off the residue from previous brewing sessions.

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 32

 Clean-In-Place Concepts
• How do brewers clean brewing equipment ?

• There are really two ways that it can be done

‒ Manually
‒ Automatically

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 33

 Clean-In-Place Concepts
• The Manual Way is the traditional way……

• …and is still common at many craft breweries

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 34
 Clean-In-Place Concepts
• Manually cleaning is just exactly what it sounds like-a
worker physically cleans the brewery equipment.

• Many craft brewers do not have the luxury of cleaning-in-

place systems and have to manually clean and sanitize their
equipment.

• Brewers use soft-bristled brushes, non-abrasive pads,

cloths, and handheld spray hoses for cleaning.

• When cleaning manually, great care must be taken to

assure that brushes and equipment are cleaned to avoid
cross-contamination.

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 35

 Clean-In-Place Concepts
• But there are alternatives to manual cleaning that might be
cost effective depending upon the scale of the brewing
operation.

• Automated “Clean-In-Place” technology is available and

widely used in larger-scale brewing operations.

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 36

 Clean-In-Place Concepts
• Clean-in-place (CIP) systems were developed by the dairy
industry as a means of reducing the amount of labor needed
for cleaning and sanitizing operations.

• One of the main advantages of CIP systems is that they can

recirculate and allow the reuse of chemicals and rinse water,
thereby reducing consumption by as much as 50%.

• CIP systems largely remove human contact with cleaning

and sanitizing agents, thus reducing the risk of harmful
exposure.

• They also assure a more consistent cleaning by removing

some of the common sources of human error in cleaning
Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 37
 Clean-In-Place Concepts
• CIP Technology

• CIP technology uses spray devices to apply CIP fluids to the

surface being cleaned.

• Two general types of spray devices are available: static and

dynamic.

‒ Static spray devices are motionless heads with drilled or fixed

nozzles. Popular versions include spray balls, tubes and bubbles.

‒ Dynamic spray devices have a moving spray head or body, which is

driven by the cleaning media

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 38

 Clean-In-Place Concepts
• Examples of CIP spray devices

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 39

 Clean-In-Place Concepts
• CIP Systems example:
 Clean-In-Place Concepts
• CIP Systems, another example:

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 41

 Clean-In-Place Concepts
• CIP Systems, another example:

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 42

 Clean-In-Place Concepts
• The variables that affect the efficiency of CIP cleaning
systems are:

‒ Time

‒ Temperature

‒ Concentration

‒ Mechanical Energy of Spray

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 43

 Clean-In-Place Concepts
• Time

• Establish a minimum time for all cleaning procedures!

• Time is a wonderful variable because unlike temperature and

concentration you can increase it without serious consequences.
‒ If you are cleaning at the lower end of the optimal temperature range for
your cleaning agent, increasing the cleaning time increases the
effectiveness of your sanitation process.

• When it comes to cleaning time, tanks and vessels in the brewery are
not all created equal.

‒ Fermenters require more time and action than bright tanks

‒ Certain yeast strains make bigger messes and need a longer cleaning cycle
‒ Dirty kegs that have been left out always need extra attention.

• In general, longer is better….

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 44
 Clean-In-Place Concepts
• Temperature

• Pasteurization temperature is 140oF. Cleaning is most

effective above 140oF but below 180-190oF

• Just like in the brewing process temperatures over 180-

190oF will cause some organic contaminates to precipitate
proteins which can inhibit cleaning.

• In general, hotter is better…..

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 45

 Clean-In-Place Concepts
Effect of Water Temperature on Cleaning Time
100

90

80

70
% Contaminant Removal

40°C
60
50°C
60°C
50 70°C
80°C
40 90°C

30

20

10

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Time (minutes)

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 46

 Clean-In-Place Concepts
• Concentration (of detergent or sanitizer)

• This variable can either save or cost you a lot of money

• More is not better!

• A high concentration of cleaner, especially caustic cleaner, can create

pitting in stainless steel surfaces which will drastically shorten the
usable life of that piece of equipment.

• Know your concentrations; measure, don't just guess or assume!

• Check concentration by using test strips and or pH (ask your supplier

what the optimal range for your particular chemical and process).

• Many cleaners can be reused as long as it is still in the optimal range of

pH and concentration. If it is not, often it can be made viable with a slight
adjustment.
Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 47
 Clean-In-Place Concepts
Effect of Detergent Concentration on Cleaning Time
100

90

80

70
% Contaminant Removal

20% of optimal
60 40% of optimal
60% of optimal
50 80% of optimal
Note that concentrations > 100% 100% of optimal
120% of optimal
40 optimal are less effective 140% of optimal

30
1
20

10

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Time (minutes)

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 48

 Clean-In-Place Concepts
• Other CIP considerations

• Transfer Line Cleaning

‒ More challenging than it may appear

‒ Flow velocity of 5 ft/sec needed

• To ensure complete wetting of pipe interiors
• To sweep away air pockets in piping high points
• Not Wet = Not Clean

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 49

 Clean-In-Place Concepts
• Why 5 ft/sec?

Fluid Dynamics Lecture 5- P 50