Food Safety Magazine, February/March 2013

Food Safety Insider: Sanitation SolutionsHidden Contamination onProcessing Equipmentwww.stainlessmotors.comResearch has proven that warm, wet environments encouragebacterial growth. Food processing facilities haveall the ingredients for a potentially dangerous recipe forfoodborne illness. Sanitation requirements in these facilities areestablished and maintained to prevent andremove the risk of contaminants that couldpossibly infect the food product. But peskypathogens lurk in the least expectedplaces, hiding on processing equipmentin crevices and gaps not visible and/oreasily accessible for cleaning. The old adage“out of sight – out of mind” is not anacceptable excuse anymore, especiallyin light of the recent outbreaks of foodcontamination at the processing level.The breeding of bacteria, the clinging ofcontaminants and those pesky pathogensall have the potential to put a company out of business if a consumercontracts a foodborne illness from their product.Stainless Steel Electric MotorsIn 1988, Stainless Motors, Inc., was founded and becamethe very first manufacturer of stainless steel electric motors forprocessing industries, a product innovation brought about by therealization that painted cast motors required frequent removal formaintenance. Corrosion, rust, flaking paint and water entry wereserious issues and create costly and time-consuming maintenanceschedules. Stainless motors soon became the recognizedstandard in processing due to their cleanability and corrosionresistance. But over time, it became apparent that there werestill concealed areas on electric motors, stainless or painted, thatwere susceptible to contaminants and build up of food debris.If unable to see it or get to it, it was even more difficult to clean.Those areas that are not accessible were not getting cleaned effectivelyduring normal cleaning procedures. It is the dirty littlesecret known to most people in the industry, but kept quiet asthere was no known solution. Until now.A New Level of CleanEngineers at Stainless Motors, Inc., introduced a revolutionarystainless washdown motor design in August 2012, trademarkedSanifan Technology. It is a patent-pending, comprehensivesolution that dramatically reduces crevices on the stainless motorand provides a way to wash areas previously inaccessible.Some innovative improvements to conventional design includedreplacing the webbed plastic cooling fan with a polished stainlessfan and securing it to the motor shaft in a sanitary manner. Thisredesign eliminated the crevices, thus removing possible areas ofentrapment for bacteria and contaminants. Other improvementssuch as a sanitary shroud mountingand sanitary seals further enhance thedesign.The ULTIMATE Level of CleanFor the ultimate level of clean, SanifanTechnology motors are availablewith an optional spray endbell andcleaning port. This provides the abilityto directly inject cleaning solution tothe most inaccessible areas of the motor—underthe fan shroud and betweenthe fan and endbell. This guaranteesthe most thorough cleaning possiblefor these hidden surfaces on the motor.In addition, water can be sprayedthrough the fan shroud into the fan areato complete the sanitation process.This combination of spray cleaningfrom the inside out and then again fromthe outside in exceeds standard motorcleaning capabilities. The cleaning portis available in several connection configurationand inlet positions to satisfyvirtually all application requirements.A Proactive ApproachWith the high risk of bacterialgrowth and contamination within food,pharmaceutical and bio tech processingfacilities, along with the legal ramificationsif a recall is is sued, SanifanTechnology is the clear choice. Thefuture of a plant caught in a contaminationlawsuit or a recall can be devastatingand have an irreversible negativeimpact on the brand and company. Aglobal proactive approach to im provedsanitary equipment design and cleaningis imperative. Sanifan Technol ogy,with its advanced clean ing capabilities,is clearly a major breakthrough in foodsafety.The High Cost of HiddenContaminationThe risk of contamination frompoorly cleaned equipment cannot beignored, and every opportunity must beemployed to ensure a sanitary processingplant. The cost of a single recallcould potentially shutter a facility. SanifanTechnology is clearly the responsiblenext step in promoting a safer,cleaner and more sanitary processingenvironment. For more information,please visit Stainless Motors, Inc., atwww.stainlessmotors.com or call505-867-0224.38 F o o d S a f e t y M a g a z i n e