Sales of salad products are now buoyant all year round, with a spike in the warmer, summer months.  The effective washing of fresh cut fruit and vegetables is very important in the food processing and food service industries as there is no opportunity with salad or fruit to carry out a thermal reduction step for the control of microorganisms.

Typically, chlorine-based disinfectants have been used however there is a drive to minimise the use of chlorine in the industry due to environmental concerns, potential health implications of chlorine by-products and consumer reticence.

Holchem has been focusing on developing chlorine free alternatives in the form of its Crystal product which is a peracetic acid-based disinfectant, is low foaming and is suitable for a wide variety of vegetable, salad and fruit washing procedures.  It’s an effective solution to ensuring the highest standards are maintained.  Peroxyacetic acid-based disinfectants are effective against a wide spectrum of micro-organisms including vegetative and sporing bacteria, moulds, spores, yeasts and viruses. 

They are suitable for a wide variety of vegetable, salad and fruit washing operations and are particularly suited to automated dosing systems. It Is manufactured from hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid to form an equilibrium of peroxyacetic acid, hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid. This eventually breaks down to form water and acetic acid. 

For further information on hygiene systems in food processing and food service visit https://www.holchem.co.uk/about/downloads/