Food Processing Equipment Design
Practical Action
used.
However, these may be unavailable and particular care is therefore needed to dismantle and
thoroughly clean pipework and valves at regular intervals. Food grade plastic pipes are suitable,
provided that the diameter is large enough to allow cleaning with a bottle brush. Pipework and
other equipment can be 'cleaned in place' by passing detergent and sterilant through them.
However, technical advice should be sought if this is planned to ensure that the cleaning is
effective.
Hand tools such as knives, peelers etc should be checked to make sure wooden handles are not
cracked or split. They should be scrubbed, dipped in a dilute chlorine solution and hung up to
dry. Cloths, towels etc should also be regularly washed and hung up to dry. Wet cloths should
never be left inside equipment.
Work surfaces
Ideally, these should have a metal or melamine surface that is smooth and free of cracks for easy
cleaning. However, wood is cheaper and is widely used. If possible, tables should be covered
with a layer of plastic to prevent liquids and pieces of food collecting between the planks of the
table surface.
Reference and further reading
Food Processing Building Design Technical Brief, Practical Action
Food Poisoning & Its Prevention Technical Brief, Practical Action
Quality Assurance for Small-scale Rural Food Industries FAO Agricultural Service Bulletin 117, Food
and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 1995
Starting a Small Food Processing Enterprise by Peter Fellows, Ernesto Franco & Walter Rios
Practical Action Publishing/CTA 1996
Small Scale Food Processing 2nd Ed. P Fellows & S Azam Ali, Practical Action Publishing, 2003
Practical Action
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