Keeping a pizza line clean and food safe requires constant attention, especially with products that have cheese, meat, sauce, vegetables and myriad other components.

Changeovers can get complicated unless the production line is built with sanitation in mind.

“AMF Tromp’s complete pizza production solutions, including topping machines, applicators and strewing units, are designed to the highest European Hygienic & Design Group’s sanitary design standards for full washdown,” said Hans Besems, executive product manager, AMF Tromp, an AMF Bakery Systems brand. “The units integrate open-frame designs, relaxing belts, easy access to all parts that need cleaning, lifetime lubricated parts, and no hollow bodies to prevent the buildup of ingredients, waste and dirt.”

Simplicity is the key to changeovers on the fly and reducing the scheduled downtime for sanitation and maintenance, noted Tom Trost, sales manager, Quantum Technical Services.

“We offer a cantilevered machine design for easy belt removal and a simple sauce pattern plate and pepperoni cluster change out to switch between product sizes and dimensions,” he explained. “Quantum components are designed for ease of sanitation. No tools are required for disassembly or reassembly for sanitation.”

Sanitation requirements vary, however, depending on whether the operation is inspected by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) or not.

Although the bar is much higher in USDA-inspected food facilities, a greater number of bakeries follow similar sanitation standard operating procedures, especially if required by a key customer.

“Sanitation starts with the requirements of each bakery, and what is the definition of a sanitized system?” asked Nick Magistrelli, vice president of sales, Rademaker USA. “For washdown areas, it is imperative that equipment vendors have experience designing their solutions for this type of environment. Electronics are easily damaged if not properly managed in the sanitation cycle. Coupling that with today’s supply chain issues with electronics, these can be critical mistakes for a bakery.”

He added pizza makers should look for production lines with open-accessible designs and put systems in place to allow for the equipment to dry quicker after a hose-down session.

“Selection of parts used on a line, or the surface type, should be taken into account,” Magistrelli said. “Looking forward in our industry, you will see more emphasis on the sanitary design of the equipment, and in the bakeries, we all need to plan for continuous improvement.”

Many other companies have already stepped up to the plate when it comes to sanitary design.

Peter Spinelli, president and general manager, Rondo North America, pointed out the company’s ASTec (Advanced Sanitary Technology) industrial lines are designed to meet stringent hygiene criteria. For instance, Rondo improved the access between rollers and conveyor belts, which allows for quick cleaning with a pressure washer to help remove even stubborn particles stuck to the equipment.

Joe Alameno, product manager, Handtmann, said the design of its dividers includes more than 100 performance innovations. These improvements eliminated all traps, curved or angled surfaces for fast drainage and use metal-detectable, FDA-compliant, non-metallic parts in food contact areas.

Often the decision of whether to retrofit or upgrade a divider or makeup system involves the accuracy of scaling, product quality and hygiene.

“We see lots of systems out there that should be replaced on hygienic standards alone,” noted John McIsaac, vice president of strategic business development, Reiser.

He added that Reiser relies on the high hygienic standard for protein when building bakery equipment.

“We never assume that there is a downstream kill step,” McIsaac said. “We design to a ready-to-eat standard. We believe a machine must come apart easily and simply for sanitation and inspection. We use only stainless steel and food grade plastics in product contact areas. We think about cleaning and sanitation first as we design machines and attachments.”

At the iba 2023 trade show in Germany, Fritsch, a Multivac Group company, displayed its new hygienic Impressa industrial bread line.

Randy Kelly, applications specialist for Fritsch, pointed out the line features a modular design for open accessibility and smoother surfaces with rounded corners to prevent debris from accumulating. The line also comes with “omega drives” where the belt can be completely released in seconds to quickly clean it underneath.

This article is an excerpt from the November 2023 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Pizza Processing, click here.