Beverage disinfection Australia is necessary, whether it is soft drinks, drinking water, or alcoholic beverages. Because of the variability in the taste and colour of municipal water, bottling companies treat water to ensure the final product is of high quality. Water is disinfected before contact with plant equipment and the equipment is then disinfected. The water could be sent to a series of advanced treatment processes before it can be used for beverage production. Bottling preserves the quality of the product until the beverage is opened by the consumer and ready for use.
Chlorine disinfection
This is a cost-effective and common disinfection method. Whilst chlorine disinfects via oxidation, it leaves a residue. Chlorine residue in municipal drinking water plants is desirable because it continues disinfecting water as it travels through the entire distribution system.
However, bottling companies do not want to alter the taste of their beverages and bottling preserves the purity of the beverages after disinfection. The companies can also apply activated carbon to remove chlorine residuals.
Since chlorine is incompatible with reverse osmosis equipment, water should be de-chlorinated before reverse osmosis. Reverse osmosis is an effective method used to achieve high removal of dissolved solids. Filtration membranes that are less sensitive to chlorine are sufficient for the treatment of water and removal of pathogens since ultrafiltration can reject most of the pathogens. Activated carbon can also be applied by a pipeline inspection company to remove dissolved gas that is not captured by the filter. Doing several rounds of disinfection ensures pathogens have been removed completely.
UV disinfection
This is an alternative method to chlorine disinfection. UV disinfection doesn’t leave a residual in the finished water. It disinfects by preventing growth and reproduction, unlike chlorine which works by killing pathogens outright.
Ultraviolet disinfection is becoming a preferred and cost-effective method of disinfection in most bottling plants. To maximise the cost-effectiveness of UV disinfection, UV is often applied after activated carbon which gets rid of organic compounds that can reduce the efficiency and effectiveness of UV disinfection.
UV disinfection can also be used to remove any ozone residual from equipment and appliances that are sterilised with ozone. Ozone is a disinfectant and can be used to treat both water and equipment but it is more expensive than chlorine so it isn’t a preferred alternative for treating water. UV is also used for the pre-treatment ahead of RO units to prevent biofouling.
Disinfecting of finished products using UV
One of the benefits of UV disinfection over ozone or chlorine disinfection is the lack of residual. A combination of UV disinfection and ozone disinfection can be used to sterilize the finished products without altering the taste of the product. One good example is the bottling of mineral water. Minimal processing is desired to maintain the flavor of the water.
On the other hand, sterilization is a common method used in beverage disinfection Australia as it provides a safe product to consumers. Additionally, using ozone to disinfect water carries the risk of the production of brominated disinfection by-products.