Inline cleaning of poultry shackles

In modern poultry processing, it is vital to guarantee the highest hygiene standards together with long shelf lives. To achieve this, not only the broiler carcasses and meat need to be clean. Shackles and product carriers need to meet the same highest hygiene standards.

Why inline cleaning of poultry shackles is necessary

Shackles come into contact with dirt and bacteria in the respective lines. Over time, soil (a dirt layer where bacteria grow very well on) is built up on the shackles and the bacteria load increases. To prevent cross contamination from shackles to the products, the shackles need to be washed regularly. Most shackles should be washed in line during processing as well as ‘over-night’ before production starts in an empty line. Overnight they should undergo a complete washing programme with foam, detergents, etc. Quality departments and veterinarians demand and check for clean equipment before they allow production to start.

Inline cleaning of poultry and turkey shackles has become more challenging

Line capacities and speeds have increased significantly over the years. In order to maintain the correct chilling time and product temperatures, chilling lines have become longer and longer. Therefore, there are more shackles and carriers in the line to clean. As a result, more shackles pass the washer in the same period of time, which means there is less washing time per shackle.

At the same time, in most double shift operations, the time available for cleaning the carriers over-night is the same as the chilling time or time needed for all shackles to pass the washer. Modern cooling/chilling tunnels work with dwell times of 3 up to 4 hours, which means that it takes this long for all shackles to pass a washing cabinet. In double shift operations, there are only 4 hours available for washing the shackles.

A high capacity and a very effective cleaning method is vital

A high capacity and a very effective cleaning method is vital here. When you are short in washing capacity or efficiency, or when you do it manually, the only option may be a light rinsing during the week and a deep cleaning in the weekend.

Our automated shackle washing solutions

Our automated shackle washing solutions boost the washing power of water using the unique Undine® technology. This makes it an extremely effective cleaning method for removing soil and bacteria from shackles, in the short period in which the shackle is in the cabinet. This allows even the longest chilling lines to be cleaned in between shifts.

Ultimate cleaning performance and maintenance free

Our shackle washers only use medium water pressure (40 bar preferably) in combination with compressed air up to 8 bar. Instead of a speed of approx. 120 km/h (75 Miles/h), the Undine® speed of small water droplets goes up to 900 km/h (560 Miles/h). Therefore, no mechanical parts whatsoever, like brushes, are needed to clean the shackles. This makes it a very robust and maintenance free cleaning solution. Moreover, the cabinets prevent dirty water and aerosol bacteria to escape.

The Undine® technology allows shackles to be cleaned just before production automatically in line at the end of the same line. The IWC shackle washers with the Undine® technology are the only washers effective enough to clean shackles inline, with a really clean shackle and  a 50% lower water consumption as result.

We know which solution is right for you

Would you also like to improve hygiene and save on water, energy and personnel costs? Do not hesitate and get in touch with us. You can call +31 (0) 527 745 932. Together with you, we will look for the best solution. Then, we will make a proposal, including the ROI, payback period and a quotation.