ADVERTORIAL FEATURE SPIRAX SARCO
DOES YOUR STEAM PASS THE TASTE TEST?
While quality and purity of steam used in pharmaceutical production and the healthcare industry has been an important consideration for years, the food and beverage sector has been much slower to analyse the type of steam it uses. Francisco Pedrosa, National Clean Steam Specialist at Spirax Sarco explains why it is high time food and beverage manufacturers took a quality-first approach.
T
here is a misplaced assumption amongst many food manufacturers
that steam is an entirely clean commodity. The reality is that there are four different grades of steam, with each one suiting a variety of applications. One example is filtered steam, which is
often referred to as culinary steam. This is essentially plant steam passed through a fine, stainless steel filter – removing 95% of all particles larger than 2 microns in size. While filtered steam is generally regarded as the minimum grade for food and beverage processing, filtration only eliminates rust, pipe scale, and other corrosion-based particulates. It is not designed to remove chemicals from the steam.
The consequence of this is that
manufacturers injecting filtered steam into their product remain susceptible to
S1 FEBRUARY 2017 | FOOD & BEVERAGE SUPPLEMENT 0
contamination from treatment chemicals or cross contamination within the plant. This can affect the taste of the product, impacting quality control and downstream supply chain activity.
KEEPING IT CLEAN The key to eliminating the risk of contamination is clean steam. In contrast to filtered, clean steam is used as standard in a range of quality-critical processes. Rather than extracting particulates, its production utilises a secondary steam generator able to control feedwater quality, and the use of stainless steel pipework and components eliminates potential corrosion of equipment. Aside from the clear benefits of
compliance, it also delivers consistent quality and flavour.
SETTING THE STANDARD Last year saw the Food Standards Agency report 63 product recalls for a multitude of reasons including labelling errors and production faults – just over double the equivalent number reported in 2014. Given that product recalls cost food producers an average of 9.4% of their annual revenue , suppliers are at risk of damaging relationships with stockists and affecting listings, ultimately posing a threat to the bottom line. Since steam quality checks are often not put in place, the types of chemicals (food approved or not) and their concentration levels within steam often remain unknown. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does offer some guidance on the chemicals which can be used in food production and whilst these regulations are not recognised in Europe, chemicals approved to FDA standard are widely used in the food and beverage industry throughout Europe. There may be a standard in place but it is neither mandatory, nor does it avoid the use of chemicals altogether. With no specific legislation, food and beverage manufacturers are free to take a discretionary approach to the steam they use but using clean steam can help organisations comply with stringent food safety standards, thereby meeting their legal obligations, and enhancing their overall process productivity. Best of all, clean steam has the potential to make a real impact on what matters most to the consumer – the taste of the end product. For more information on Spirax Sarco
and its clean steam solutions for the food and beverage industry, visit
sxscom.uk/Clean_Steam
Spirax Sarco T: 01242 521361 E:
enquiries.uk@
uk.spiraxsarco.com www.spiraxsarco.com/uk
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