To extend the shelf life of food, the food industry uses various processes, including the preparation of food in clean rooms, in order to meet the desire of consumers to consume food without preservatives.

Areas of application for cleanrooms in food production

In food processing, cleanrooms are used, among other things, when it comes to processing or packaging food without preservatives. However, food that is no longer heated before consumption is also sometimes processed and packaged in cleanrooms.

Cleanrooms are designed in such a way that the entry of germs into these rooms is reduced. This is achieved by installing cleanroom furniture and cleanroom airlocks for staff and materials, wearing cleanroom clothing and using cleanroom consumables such as cleanroom wipes, cleanroom swabs and cleanroom gloves; however, filtering the air can also help to reduce germs.

Advantages of the cleanroom in food production

The use of cleanrooms in the food industry ensures that the food processed in the cleanroom has a longer shelf life. This is because cleanroom measures aim to reduce the concentration of particles in the air and therefore also the number of microbial particles or colony-forming units (CFU). Fewer germs means that harmful organisms cannot develop as quickly.

In particular, the reduction of germs thanks to food production in cleanrooms means that preservatives and thermal treatments (heat treatments) for preserving food can be partially dispensed with. This enables manufacturers to meet the desire of many consumers to consume natural foods, in particular the food trend of “clean eating”, which involves, among other things, ensuring that the food to be consumed is free from preservatives. At the same time, the use of cleanroom technology enables the shelf life of food required by the trade to be achieved, which is necessary for transportation and storage, among other things.

Other advantages of the clean room in the production of food are the preservation of the color, texture and taste of the food as well as the nutrients it contains.

Which cleanroom class applies to food?

Cleanrooms are divided into different classes, whereby the respective class depends on the number of particles per cubic meter of air. Cleanrooms in ISO classes 5 to 7 are generally used in the food sector. In addition to the ISO class system, which is divided into 9 classes, there is also the GMP class system, which has four cleanroom classes. For comparison: ISO class 5 corresponds approximately to classes A and B of the GMP class system.

However, the GMP system is usually used in the food sector, as it also has microbial limit values – unlike the ISO class system. In particular, the microbial specifications of GMP class A serve as a guide, according to which the colony-forming units must be below 1 per cubic meter of air.

Room-in-room concept

In order to keep costs low but still meet the requirements of the required cleanroom class, a cleanroom of a higher cleanroom class is often installed in a cleanroom of a lower cleanroom class, also known as a room-in-room concept, in which a class A cleanroom is located in a class B cleanroom, for example. In this concept, cleanroom A is kept as small as possible in order to save on both investment costs and operating costs.

To implement a room-in-room solution, an isolator (e.g. in the form of a laminar flow glove box), a cleanroom cabin or a cleanroom tent is used, for example. Isolators, i.e. closed modules with their own cleanroom class, are used in beverage filling, for example.

Clean Cloud system

By using a so-called Clean Cloud system, an air envelope that meets cleanroom conditions is created along a production line as a substitute for setting up a complete cleanroom, which is sometimes not otherwise feasible, particularly for cost reasons. This is achieved by introducing purified and cooled air into the cleanroom above the respective work area. The air is extracted again at another point close to the production area. This is also referred to as protection by a clean air cloud. With clean cloud systems like this, baked goods such as toast are protected under cleanroom conditions from the oven to the cooling tower to the slicer.

Corona brought new challenges

The coronavirus pandemic has brought new challenges for the food industry, such as meat processing plants. In order to reduce contamination even further – especially the introduction of germs by staff – additional hygiene measures are being implemented, such as sterilization of air flows, more targeted cleaning measures and the automation of production processes.

Further information on cleanrooms in the food industry

Cleanrooms are playing an increasingly important role in the food industry. If you have any questions about how such a cleanroom for food or its production should be set up and which cleanroom products can be used, our experts at abovo will be happy to help you.

The best way to tell the cleanroom experts at abovo about your concerns is by telephone or e-mail, of course without obligation:

  • Telephone number of abovo: +41 32 552 44 44
  • E-mail address of abovo: info@abovo.ch