Overview
FrançaisABSTRACT
The washing and disinfection of beer kegs, in particular those of cylindrical shape equipped with a fitted spear tube is a very delicate case of container cleaning. It is through the spear tube that all the conditioning operations are performed, without this organ ever being separated from the keg. The CO2 pressurization of the keg at the brewery creates anaerobic conditions friendly to the contaminants in the beer, while washing by streaming remains very unpredictable, considering the geometry of the keg and its positioning during the cleaning. Ideally, after using hot detergents followed by multiple rinsing, an intense heat treatment with steam at 2 bars is applied, and the filling is done straight afterwards with no preliminary cooling
Read this article from a comprehensive knowledge base, updated and supplemented with articles reviewed by scientific committees.
Read the articleAUTHOR
-
Pierre MILLET: Engineer ENSAIA EBN – École nationale supérieure d'agronomie et des industries alimentaires de Nancy - Former technical director of an industrial brewery - Associate professor at ENSAIA in the brewing and beverages department
INTRODUCTION
The brewery keg is a refillable primary packaging whose main characteristic is its ability to withstand high internal pressures. Before being made of stainless steel, they were first made of wood, then of metal with a protective coating and the barrel's characteristic biconical profile.
Today, the brewery keg has opted for a stainless steel cylindrical shape, which has facilitated the mechanization of handling operations (transfers to packaging machines, palletization). The widespread use of stainless steel in the manufacture of the keg has opened up other uses outside the brewery, whether with flat liquids such as wine, or carbonated liquids such as lemonades and soft drinks.
In practice, at the same time as the cylindrical shape, brewery kegs have come into general use with the incorporated plunger permanently placed on the container and through which all the various packaging operations are carried out:
wash ;
sterilization ;
filling ;
debit at the cafetier.
This type of keg was introduced to breweries in France in the early 1960s, having originated in England. For the French brewer, it offered the hope of putting an end once and for all to the quarrel over the quality of the draught beer that had always existed between the brewer and the cafetier who draughted his beer.
In fact, with kegs with built-in plunger, the beer returns to the brewery under carbon dioxide pressure and in a hermetically sealed vessel, which should enable the brewer to verify the validity of the claim. It soon became apparent that this apparent advantage was not a real one, given the increasing number of kegs being returned when this packaging was first introduced, as the very structure of the keg made perfect cleaning impossible. However, as the packaging also offered other advantages, especially in terms of handling, palletization and machine processing, the brewer persevered, and today uses a cleaning technique that may be imperfect, but which is made effective by thermal blasting.
However, major improvements have been made both to the construction, by reducing the number of welds, a source of dirt trapping on the inner wall, and to washing techniques and detergent selection. Today, two types of diver are used:
with tray ;
with bowls.
In order to be used by the coffee maker, they require easy-to-use components (flow heads) specific to each type and manufacturer. The various functions involved in the filling and packaging of plunger-incorporated...
Exclusive to subscribers. 97% yet to be discovered!
You do not have access to this resource.
Click here to request your free trial access!
Already subscribed? Log in!
The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference
KEYWORDS
disinfection | packing | food liquid | detergency | cleaning | hygiene
CAN BE ALSO FOUND IN:
This article is included in
Food industry
This offer includes:
Knowledge Base
Updated and enriched with articles validated by our scientific committees
Services
A set of exclusive tools to complement the resources
Practical Path
Operational and didactic, to guarantee the acquisition of transversal skills
Doc & Quiz
Interactive articles with quizzes, for constructive reading
Washing and disinfecting the "brewery" keg
Bibliography
Websites
-
Reviews
• Liquids and packaging http://www.editionspci.fr
• Magazine liquids http://www.interfaces-logistiques.com
• Digest packaging
• Magazine packaging...
Events
International Packaging Exhibition held annually in Paris http://www.all4pack.fr
Regulations
• Decree no. 78-166 of January 31, 1978 on the metrological control of certain prepackages, supplemented by the Decrees of October 20, 1978 and February 25, 1980.
• Directive 2007/45/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 September 2007 laying down rules on nominal quantities for pre-packed products, repealing Council Directives 75/106/EEC and 80/232/EEC, and amending Council Directive...
Directory
Professional and training organizations
• Professional technical center: IFBM – Qualtech, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy (France)
• Institut français des boissons de la brasserie malterie http://www.ifbm.fr
Exclusive to subscribers. 97% yet to be discovered!
You do not have access to this resource.
Click here to request your free trial access!
Already subscribed? Log in!
The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference