Byotrol eradicates listeria in cheese factory
18th Apr 2007For cheese manufacturers, control of Listeria is one of the major challenges facing their industry. One proactive company in Cheshire enlisted the help of antimicrobial technology company Byotrol PLC to eradicate any traces of Listeria and ensure that all cheese leaving their factory is Listeria free.
JS Bailey is a successful family owned business, with 60 employees at their factory, distributing between 100 and 120 tonnes of cheese a week to food service organisations and manufacturing companies across the UK.
With three production sites, often cold in temperature, Listeria is always at the forefront of the company's radar to ensure that contamination does not occur. JS Bailey purchase cheese from across the UK and Europe for grating, re-milling and cutting and as such have a superior vetting process to certify that any contaminated cheeses that arrive at the site are removed immediately.
Having worked with several chemical service providers in the past, Dan Smith, QA Manager explains why he is so happy with both the results and level of service received from Byotrol PLC: "We contacted Byotrol PLC to ascertain how we could eradicate and prevent any trace of Listeria. We were absolutely astounded by the findings and in just under 6 months not only are we continuing to use Byotrol but it has eliminated any trace of infection, which for a cheese processing plant is almost unheard of.
"The fact that we no longer have to use a foaming agent is also an added bonus, as not only does using Byotrol reduce our water usage but as foam is very alkaline any aluminium equipment was corroding far too often. With Byotrol our productivity record has increased dramatically and if I ever need any assistance I know that Byotrol are just at the other end of the phone line which is reassuring to know." Dan Smith added.
JS Bailey's cleaning regime now consists of a thorough deep clean of all their equipment including conveyor belts and production lines using Byotrol's fogging machinery. The misting unit applies the Byotrol technology in a fine aerosol and ensures all surfaces, including hard to reach areas, are cleaned. In addition, a hand held trigger spray and disposable wipes impregnated with Byotrol are used for treatment of all hard surfaces.
Byotrol products have a four stage effect on micro-organisms using changes in surface tension as the basis of their attack.
1. Byotrol's component biocides attack micro-organisms on a surface as soon as the product is applied.
2. Byotrol then conditions the surfaces before additional micro-organisms land, making it more difficult for the micro-organisms to settle on the surface, attach and reproduce.
3. When micro-organisms secrete material in an attempt to form a biofilm, (i.e. attachment properties which enable biofilm production) the secretion compounds - proteins, polysaccharides or oily type materials - are all disrupted by the pervading surface tension regime, making it much more difficult or impossible for the organisms to form a firm attachment to the surface.
4. Finally, the micro-organisms, in their weakened state, succumb to Byotrol's residual, long-lasting biocidal action provided by its component biocides. These are not aggressive chemical compounds, but when acting on a micro-organism, they cause the organism's membrane to burst before it has a chance to reproduce.
According to Byotrol's Business Development Director Stephen Falder, "We are absolutely delighted with our findings at JS Bailey. As a company we are offering food manufacturer's a total hygiene control solution that eliminates the need to change products every few months to combat resistance. The fact that our technology combines low toxicity and minimal taint with residual efficacy and broadband effect are a real breakthrough for the food processing industry.
"In the long term, our technology can deliver significant cost savings in the area of hygiene while at the same time improving overall performance and control. At present, the cost of using water in a cleaning process is around £4 per tonne by the time it has been made suitable for return to the environment. Because Byotrol's toxicity is several orders of magnitude lower than most other disinfectants on the market and its components are biodegradable, there is a potential immediate saving to be made over conventional biocides in this area alone.
"Our technology is ideally suited for use right across the supply chain from cleaning raw materials on entry through to production line sanitisation and personal hygiene control and at the other end of the chain our fogging products are suitable for not only cleaning cheese manufacturing plants but even transport and containers," Stephen Falder adds.
The Byotrol technology has been fully tested and certified for use in the food industry by the Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association.
In addition to combating Listeria, the Byotrol products deliver broadband control of a wide range of micro-organisms including Legionella, E.coli, Salmonella, S aureus and campylo bacter coupled with residual effect which means the product continues to be effective for up to seven days after application. Importantly Byotrol is a technology to which organisms cannot develop resistance and offers a cleaning technology with extremely low levels of toxicity compared to anything else on the market. Having passed CCFRA taint tests makes it ideal for use in the food industry.
As well as eliminating the need to change products every few months to combat development of resistance, the Nanosphere product range for food offers a single methodology for managing all areas of infection control depending on the environment.
For management of high care areas, Byotrol is launching a foaming floor and surface cleaner which produces a visible foam when applied, thus ensuring operatives do not miss any areas when cleaning. The Nanosphere range is completed with a pipeline cleaning fluid.
For personal care, Byotrol PLC recommend their foaming hand mousse, which combines long-lasting action with an alcohol free formulation that minimises dry skin and dermatitis that sometimes arises from use of products containing alcohol. It is hoped that this will be introduced to the JS Bailey plant later this year.