|
|
|
You can get e-magazine links on WhatsApp. Click here
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tubing: Boon or bane for quality assurance in food & beverage industry
|
|
Friday, 01 March, 2013, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
|
|
Mark Timbrook
|
|
fiogf49gjkf0d When the discussion of food quality assurance arises, bacteria and toxins are often part of the conversation. What may not be part of the conversation is how much the tubing that transfers or dispenses food or beverages can contribute to or possibly prevent these quality killers. Many in the food and beverage industry are recognising that the tubing can have a major impact on quality assurance.
According to Matt Meadows, national director of field quality for a major craft brewing company in the US, their biggest weakness in quality control is the PVC tubing that is used throughout the industry.
Meadows stated, “PVC tubing has been the weakest link in draught beer system design. Because of the challenges of PVC and the constant buildup of biofilm within the tubing, it is difficult to keep consistent quality from manufacturing to consumer.”
Meadows is part of one of the largest craft breweries in the United States. Like most in the food and beverage industry, they pride themselves on quality assurance at every level down to the final dispensing systems that deliver their product. Like most in that industry, they have been hard-pressed to find an alternative to the tubing that is currently the industry standard.
Recently the Eldon James Corporation, a leading US-based tubing and fittings manufacturer, teamed up with beverage brewing and dispensing companies internationally and contracted with the Research Center Weihenstephan for Brewing and Food Technology in Freising, Germany. They pursued research, development and testing to help find a solution for these challenges that exist with food and beverage delivery and dispensing systems. Through their research, Eldon James concluded that the tubing currently used in the food and beverage industry could be considered the weakest link in the quality assurance process for two major reasons:
1. The biofilm buildup with the tubing caused by bacteria which can adversely affect the taste and quality of the product at the consumer level.
2. The health concerns and environmental challenges of PVC.
Concerns with PVC Tubing and Impact on Quality
PVC has been one of the most common materials used for beer line tubing, soft drink dispensing, as well as the production and processing of common food and beverage products. The challenges associated with PVC have been major impediments to consistent quality for these applications.
The health concerns for PVC have been recognised within the medical industry for many years. There have been aggressive steps taken in recent years to eliminate PVC wherever possible. A major announcement was made by the American Public Health Association in November 2011 where it passed a resolution urging hospitals, schools and nursing homes to reduce the amount of PVC they use. Shortly after this announcement, Kaiser Permanente, a major US healthcare provider, announced that it will no longer buy intravenous (IV) medical equipment made with PVC.
According to the Center for Health, Environment and Justice, Sweden first proposed restrictions on PVC use in 1995 and is working toward discontinuing all PVC uses. In Spain, over 60 cities have been declared PVC-free. Germany has banned the disposal of PVC in landfills as of 2005, is minimising the incineration of PVC, and is encouraging the phase out of PVC products that cannot easily be recycled. Since 1986, at least 274 communities in Germany have enacted restrictions against PVC.
The question has become, “With the increasing regulations worldwide, potential health risks and environmental challenges, why are plastics manufacturers so slow to respond with PVC-free solutions?” The answer lies in the following three major inhibitors:
1. It is extremely difficult to maintain the desired characteristics of flexibility and transparency while eliminating the harmful attributes of PVC.
2. There are significant costs associated with researching and replacing PVC products that have produced for many years.
3. The enormous capital outlay that is required to convert to a manufacturing process and implement materials that are completely PVC free.
For manufacturers of products traditionally made out of PVC like beer line tubing, beverage dispensing lines, and food and beverage processing lines, converting existing equipment to produce these is costly or virtually impossible. In most cases, a machine that has previously produced PVC products cannot manufacture products that are intended to be free from PVC. This is because the plasticisers used in the production of PVC products can permanently contaminate the equipment. Manufacturers have found that the by-products and emissions resulting from producing PVC can cause corruption and premature deterioration to any other product manufactured in that same machine. The only option becomes a complete capital investment in new equipment that has never processed any PVC products.
While the food and beverage industry has started to recognise the need for alternatives to PVC, it has found very few solutions that are as flexible and transparent. Fortunately for the food and beverage industry, much of the testing and research that the medical field has done can now benefit this industry as well. Because of their ties to the medical equipment industry, Eldon James made a commitment over five years ago to invest in brand new equipment and manufacture only products that are PVC free. Through research, development and extensive testing, Eldon James has been able to manufacture plastic tubing that is transparent and flexible, similar to PVC, but without the potential health risks and environmental challenges. With this success for medical, biomedical and pharmaceutical applications, they now bring that same innovation to the food and beverage industry.
Food and Beverage Spoiling Bacteria Buildup in Tubing Lines
Aside from the health and environmental issues posed by the use of PVC, another significant challenge for the beverage industry has been to assure adherence to the stringent cleaning standards required to eliminate the buildup of bacteria and biofilm in beverage delivery lines. It is recognised that businesses that dispense their product at the consumer level may not always follow these standards. This biofilm can adversely affect taste and the quality of the product at the consumer level. Because of this reality, the beverage industry has long sought after a solution to help increase consistency and quality of their product between cleaning cycles.
While other materials and innovations claim to “resist” bacteria build up within the tubing assembly, Eldon James sought and obtained third-party validation for their claims. Eldon James Flexelene Silver is the first tubing product developed and tested as a solution for the food and beverage industry with conclusive results against the top 4 beverage spoiling bacteria.
Eldon James has taken a different approach based on the science that has been very effective for the medical industry. Initially responding to the concerns with HAI’s (hospital acquired infections), Eldon James developed tubing and fittings to combat this problem. These revolutionary tubing and fittings contain Silver (Ag) ions that come in contact with bacteria and other microbes inhibiting their growth.
After hearing concerns from the food and beverage industry over biofilm buildup, Eldon James quickly discovered that the same innovation that met the high standards for the medical industry could be effective in the delivery and dispensing of food and beverage products as well. The next step was to determine how effective this innovation would be against the bacteria common in these applications.
To test this recent medical advancement for food and beverage uses, Eldon James contacted the Research Center Weihenstephan for Brewing and Food Technology in Germany. Weihenstephan conducted a series of tests over several months to determine the antimicrobial activity of Eldon James’ Flexelene Silver Tubing. It was determined that there are 4 bacteria common in beer and other liquids and beverages:
• Acetobacter lovaniensis: This acetic acid bacterium occurs in the early stages of biofilm formation. In wort and beer with high oxygen content, acetic acid bacteria can proliferate and cause an acidic off-flavour. It is commonly found on fruits, flowers, vinegars, and in fermented foods and drinks.
• Wickerhamomyces anomalus: (Formerly: Pichia anomala) is frequently associated with spoilage or processing of food and grain products and is widespread among many production steps of alcoholic beverages. It belongs to the group of slow fermenting yeasts and is in carbonated beverages responsible for solvent-like off-flavours. This bacteria was detected in many cases in the brewing environment and its participation in biofilm formation was confirmed.
• Lactobacillus brevis: It is by far the most frequently detected microorganism in beer. It is classified as an obligate beer spoiler (i.e. it tolerates all selective characteristics of beer and deteriorates it by haze, acid formation and off-flavours).
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa: It can cause inflammations and infections. It ends up in the brewing environment by the water, especially, and takes part in biofilm formation as slime-forming bacterium. It is a common bacterium that can cause disease in animals, including humans.
Summary of the Report
Without water flow the test with the Flexelene Silver Tubing can be consistently regarded as positive. Despite vast inoculation of bacterial cells well over real contamination cell counts, the silver coating of the tubes was able to reduce the cell count of the four selected microorganisms significantly. The test results confirm that Flexelene Silver Tubing could diminish the cell concentration of all the tested microorganism species up to 100% in the 24 hours test period.
To determine whether taste can be detected in the tubing, a concentrate test was conducted called, ”The influence of rubber material to smell and taste” (acc. to MEBAK IV, 2nd edition, issue 1998, “4.6 influence of rubber materials to smell and taste“). It was concluded that there is no significant difference on taste between the “treated” and the blank sample.
After a circulation of 2,000 litre of water through the Flexelene Silver Tubing, a positive result could be obtained, as well. Considerable activity revealed through the tests against Lactobacillus brevis (the most frequently detected microorganism in beer), Acetobacter lovaniensis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa where the cell concentrations could be reduced up to 100% in the 24 hours test period. The antimicrobial activity against the yeast Wickerhamomyces anomalus was, in 2 of 3 tests, slightly weaker, but still showed a reduced concentration.
To address potential concerns of the silver leaching into the flow path, testing was conducted after 2,000 litre, 10,800 litre and 40,000 litre of water circulation. The analysis concluded that the flow directed through the Flexelene Silver Tubing had no detectable silver traces in the water (detection limit of the method: 0.01 mg/l).
Because of the potential increase in quality assurance and therefore improved consistency of product at dispensing, Eldon James’ Flexelene Silver Tubing is now expected to have a significant impact on the food and beverage industry.
It was concluded that the Flexelene Silver (PVC Free) Tubing was 100% effective against the top 4 beverage spoiling bacteria and was successful in reducing the concentrations of 3 of those bacteria in up to 2,000 litre of flow and Lactobacillus brevis up to 10, 10,000 litre. The most astonishing result is the impressive reduction of Lactobacillus brevis, which is determined to be the most frequently detected microorganism in beer.
Benefits for the Food and Beverage Industry
With the issues facing quality assurance stemming from PVC tubing and biofilm buildup in food and beverage applications, solutions are coming from an industry that is familiar with high quality standards, the medical industry. Innovations such as Eldon James’ Flexelene Silver tubing and fittings along with excellent alternatives to PVC have given the food and beverage industry an opportunity to significantly increase and control quality from production all the way to the consumer.
Flexelene Silver is a stock product for Eldon James currently available in 17 different sizes ranging from 1/32” I.D. to 1” I.D. Samples for evaluation are available by request at www.eldonjames.com/samples. Mating antimicrobial fittings are also available for a complete antimicrobial flow path.
(The author is marketing manager, Eldon James Corporation)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|