Quality assurance and control of bottling natural water

The concept of natural mineral water is that only bacteriological wholesome water from a sequential underground source can be bottled.

The HACCP system is highly applicable to bottling of natural waters. Quality assurance and control may be considered to have three main components:
*Suitability of the source and its protection
*Prevention of contamination at point of abstraction
*Post abstraction processes

The susceptibility of water to change, chemically, microbiologically or organoleptically, brings challenge to the bottling process. The inherent properties of water, the raw and packaging materials available and the equipment used all have profound implications for the safety and quality of the finished product that reaches the consumer.

It is necessary to maintain knowledge of the catchment area and to evaluate the consequences of changes in agriculture or industrial practices. Prevention of contamination of the underground water by environmental pollution such as faecal material is very important, particularly for waters which do not receive purification and bactericidal treatments.

Control at point of abstraction involves ensuring that water is not contaminated by pumps, the fabric of the well, etc and that the well or spring is itself protected. These may represent sources of contamination if poorly maintained or where flow rates are low or holding times long.
Quality assurance and control of bottling natural water

Cleaning in place (CIP)

Today, in many food industries, CIP is not only a cleaning method but a strategic decision built into the design of the plant and its individual parts.

Dairies and breweries have used CIP of many years but few other plants have used it because it is expensive to buy and install and some processing equipment can be hard to clean this way.

Therefore, food processors can only use CIP in certain places and the system must be custom designed.

According to Society of Dairy Technology, CIP can be defined as the cleaning of the complete items of the plant or pipeline circuits without dismantling or opening of the equipment and with little or no manual involvement on the part do the operator.

Basically CIP is a hydrodynamic cleaning process where rinsing, cleaning and sanitization fluids circulate along the path of the product and provide the detergency as well as the mechanical action needed for the removal of soil without dismantling the line.

The CIP principle combines the benefits of the chemical activity of the cleaning compounds with the physical effects of spray, flowing fluids and brushed.

CIP units comprise vessels for storage and recovery of cleaning solutions, along with valves, pumps, pipelines and field instrumentation to allow cleaning to take place, usually automatically.

The system dispenses the cleaning solution into the soiled surface, for the right amount so time, at the right temperature, at the right concentration and with the right amount of force.
Cleaning in place (CIP)