Environmentally friendly detergents for plant-based dirt in food industry

As the popularity of plant-based products continues to grow, the food industry faces the challenge of achieving the required level of hygiene in a sustainable way. ​Kiilto offers Kiilto Pro Avena products with the Nordic Swan ecolabel to meet the changing consumer habits.

Plant-based options instead of meat, eggs or dairy products are becoming more popular all the time as many are changing their consuming habits. People and companies are continuously looking for new ways to be more sustainable. Plant-based options are a part of the change. In addition to new possibilities and product development this has also posed a challenge for the food industry.  

Plant-based dirt is different compared to the dirt we are used to get from meat, dairy, and other animal-based products. Caused by the features of proteins in plants such as oats, beans and peas, the production of plant-based products sets special requirements for washing detergents in use. Oats, for example, contain a lot of starch, a dirt which traditional options for CIP and surface cleaning don’t perform efficiently on. 

New demand creates a need for new products 

Kiilto wants to be a part in the change and support its customers with new cleaning detergents developed especially for plant-based food production. It is researched that consumers who prefer plant-based options over meat, eggs, or dairy products, often care about the sustainability of the whole lifecycle from production to end-use. ​This has been one of the main criteria when developing the new products.  

The new detergents in Kiilto Pro Avena product series answer to the rising demands of the market without compromising on the effectiveness or their impact on the environment. The new products have been tested with good results in Finland, Kiilto Pro Avena CIP at Valio Suonenjoki and  Mö Foods, Kiilto Pro Avena Foam at Hämeenlinnan Osuusmeijeri. 

Kimmo Nurmi from Kiilto’s R&D was involved in the development of the new products. He says that the project was very interesting especially since the range of plant-based products is continuously growing and the need for suitable detergents is urgent.  

“When plant-based proteins burn to a surface, it’s extremely hard to clean the surface thoroughly. What surprised me in the development process was the importance of heat treatment of intermediate products and their meaning for the result”, tells Nurmi. 

Environmentally friendly washing detergents for food industry

The new product series Kiilto Pro Avena is particularly effective against plant protein dirt. Kiilto Pro Avena Foam is an environmental-friendly option for surface cleaning in food industry. It’s also a safer choice for users and materials. For circulate washing of pipelines, containers  and other  equipment, Kiilto offers Kiilto Pro Avena CIP, a product with good dirt resistance and low foaming feature. ​ 

Kiilto Pro Avena products also work extremely well for other purposes than plant-based dirt. Therefore, as an environmentally friendly alternative, Kiilto Pro Avena Foam will replace the existing product Kiilto F 19 Supe. It is an improved foaming detergent and works just like the previous product for light metal surfaces and effectively removes grease and protein dirt. 

​Kiilto desires to be an environmental leader in its own field and at the same time also help its customers to reach their environmental goals. Therefore, a lot of effort is put to sustainable product development. The swan-labeled Kiilto Pro Avena products are a result of this. Kiilto's food industry range also includes three other products with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. The products labelled with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel are:

• Kiilto Pro Avena Foam material and environmentally friendly alkaline foam detergent for light metal surfaces

• Kiilto Pro Avena CIP strongly Alkaline CIP Detergent

• Kiilto Pro F 24 Fabox for washing of transport plastic boxes and mobile tanks 

• Kiilto Pro F 47 Tarmo CIP detergent for process pipelines and for the washing of containers and equipment, also suitable for removal of grime and hard-to-remove dirt 

• Kiilto Pro F 60 Ciro for CIP cleaning or on a once-only basis in food industry 

Together with the new Kiilto Pro Avena and other detergents produced by Kiilto, a sustainable hygiene solution, that meets the needs of customers production lines and other facilities, can be created easily. 

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