Keeping safe production areas for dry foods has always been a challenge as washdowns create moisture that can breed and grow unwanted bacteria. From 2016 through 2019, approximately 100 multistate E. coli cases were linked to flour and related products, according to the U.S. CDC. Salmonella is also a concern as it accounts for 94% of all U.S. recalls of low-moisture foods and 53% of food outbreaks worldwide.
A new cleaning tool has been under development at Cornell University, which uses superheated steam to kill bacteria on production surfaces. Resembling an overgrown hair dryer or heat gun, the tool can direct dry superheated steam at 250°F at targeted low-moisture food contact surfaces. Abigail Snyder, Ph.D., assistant professor of food science, has been testing the viability of superheated steam to clean these manufacturing environments.