Shelf life is not a question of price
It is claimed by different installations in Israel by means of a thorough ultra-clean chain, the shelf life of dairy products can be increased from ten to 30 to 40 days. The European dairies have now realized this. Emmi, Switzerland has meanwhile also equipping several lines with the Sterivent Filtration. Whether is the yoghurt, cream cheeses, juices or medical supplies, every hygienic deficiency in the production and filling processes decreases the shelf life. One of the weak points is, in many places, the unprotected incubation container. Yoghurt which ripens here after the addition of cultures causes creation of the same natural atmosphere, because the unfiltered outside air drags in microbes in to the foodstuffs. The Emmi group, Luzern, therefore, flanged in, as a matter of pressing importance, the new Sterivent Filtration of the German-Israeli Fischer Planning Netanya concern, onto the existing containers of one of the production operations, and can now look forward to a microbe-poor ripening of their yoghurt. With existing it may be said that the technique is used at best for equipping existing manufacturing lines, as well as for new installations. Like the example of Tara in Tel Aviv confirms: the dairy speaks of an extension of the shelf life of their cheese products of ten days, after the air passes to the incubation tank, to the separators, to the cheese silo, to the creamer container and to the filling installation of the new Sterivent cleaning setup.
Effective ESL measure
The administration advantages of the manufacturers are herewith at hand. Thanks to the thorough microbe-freedom or microbe-poorness of such ultra-clean-lines, during the finishing there is no need for the integration of sectional expensive steam set up of sterile tanks in order to dam off the recontamination as a consequence of the air entrance. The obligatory filtration gives the attribute of ESL to milk production: that magic abbreviation which stands for the Anglo-Saxon Extended Shelf Life for long market-suitable shelf life and storage capability. The bidder from the Near East sees a wider supply possibility of his technique. Because of the EU extension in the Baltic countries, more large foodstuff concerns are trying to get a foothold in the former Soviet Union. The aim is to get deliveries from the low wage countries for their own country. The first step is to phase out the older lines and build them up in the remote country. This has a double significance: since the quality, say the shelf life, should not suffer, then firstly this. From the standpoint of hygiene, shelf life is a major issue even with the most efficient anti-microbe measures. Secondly, the export and re-import concerns involve a naturally longer transport, and therewith longer transport times which also become problematic for the longer storage capability. The Sterivent filtration reacts to this. It comes to the help of both processes. For one thing, the cleaning of the tanks which, during and after the thermal disinfection, should not come in contact with the outside contaminated air (CIP-Cleaning in Place). During the CIP the Hepa filters conduct only microbe-free air to the storage containers. On the other side the ultra-clean additions support, as illustrated, the desired ESL measures for the stabilization of the dairy products, the cosmetic or pharmaceutical products.
EDM/European Dairy Magazine 5
Dairy&Fluid Foods Technology/October 2004
Written by
Bernd Genath
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