Industrial food & beverage processing generates specific cleaning challenges where enzymes prove their worth by speeding up and improving cleaning performance and maximizing equipment utilization.

Biofilm is a collection of bacteria encased in extracellular polymeric substance (EPS), more commonly known as slime. This slime forms on surfaces and builds up over time, allowing pathogens to flourish and leading to contamination.

Many industrial companies struggle with biofilm. Buildup and subsequent contamination can occur on any type of surface, often including food production machinery, membrane filters, and pipes, to give just a few examples. The slime is a problematic and unpredictable source of contamination that is very hard, if not impossible, to remove with traditional cleaning chemicals.

Although various methods are used to attempt to control biofilm, they are not without limitations. Aggressive chemicals such as caustic soda and bleach are often used, but they do not provide very good performance and, at the same time, corrode materials and machinery, endanger users, and negatively impact the environment. Fortunately, a more efficient, safe, and environmentally friendly option is available – enzymes.

Read the entire white paper on the solution for biofilm here.