Novolyze Featured in Food Engineering Magazine: Advancing Cleaning and Sanitation Practices in Food Safety

Sanitation and cleaning are foundational to ensuring safe, high-quality food production. In the May 2025 issue of Food Engineering magazine, Novolyze contributed to a two-part editorial feature exploring the critical role of sanitation in combating foodborne pathogens like Listeria monocytogenes. The articles examine industry challenges, evolving best practices, and the technologies shaping more effective cleaning protocols—providing valuable insights for food safety and quality professionals navigating today’s complex regulatory and operational landscape.

Addressing the Listeria Challenge

Listeria monocytogenes is a resilient pathogen capable of surviving in diverse conditions, including low temperatures, high salt concentrations, and a broad pH range. Its ability to form biofilms on equipment surfaces makes it particularly challenging to eliminate. The article highlights a recent incident where Boar’s Head had to close a facility due to Lm infestation, underscoring the critical importance of effective cleaning and sanitation (C&S) practices.

Novolyze’s Expert Contributions

Karim-Franck Khinouche, Novolyze’s founder and CEO, provides valuable perspectives on selecting appropriate sanitation methods. He discusses the efficacy of “green” cleaning agents, such as plant-derived essential oils and biodegradable surfactants, noting that while environmentally friendly, their effectiveness against resilient bacteria like Lm may vary. In situations where Lm is present or biofilms have formed, traditional chemicals like peracetic acid or sodium hydroxide are often more reliable.

Khinouche emphasizes the importance of comprehensive documentation of sanitation processes, stating, “Quickly and proactively addressing future contamination requires trusted and comprehensive documentation of not only the effective chemical but also the sanitation process used in its control.” He highlights how Novolyze’s Sanitation Complete software solution enhances the effectiveness of both green and traditional chemicals by digitalizing Master Sanitation Programs, including environmental monitoring and task management .

Exploring Dry Cleaning Innovations

In the second part of the series, Khinouche discusses alternative sanitation methods suitable for specific applications:

Dry Steam Cleaning: Utilizes steam with minimal moisture content, making it suitable for sanitizing equipment in both high-moisture environments, such as meat production, and low-moisture facilities, such as bakeries. While effective in microbial reduction, its efficacy in physically removing biofilms and heavy residues may be limited, necessitating mechanical action or chemical interventions.
UV-C Light: Effective for surface sterilization of equipment, particularly in low-moisture environments where traditional wet-cleaning methods are impractical. Its practicality depends on factors such as line-of-sight exposure and material compatibility. Typically, UV-C is applied after processing has concluded to avoid potential hazards to personnel and product degradation .

Empowering Food Safety Professionals

For food safety and quality personnel, this article series offers a wealth of information on effective cleaning and sanitation strategies. Novolyze’s contributions provide practical guidance on selecting appropriate sanitation methods and underscore the importance of digital tools in enhancing food safety protocols.

We invite you to read the full articles to gain deeper insights into combating foodborne pathogens and to learn how Novolyze’s solutions can support your sanitation and food safety objectives.

Read the full articles here:

For more information on how Novolyze can assist in enhancing your food safety and sanitation programs, please visit our website at www.novolyze.com.