Better hygiene in food-packaging board at reduced risk of rejected tonnage and machine corrosion

Board grades which are used for packaging of dry or fresh food, milk or other liquids for human consumption have strict requirements regarding the hygienic quality of the packaging board. If they are not tightly controlled, minute microorganisms present in hygienic grades like liquid packaging board (LPB) or food-grade folding box-board can be extremely costly. For example, if some part of a shipment of these grades is out of specification for hygiene, the converter may reject the whole lot. A two-day outbreak of bacterial spores on a board making machine can lead to the loss of thousands of tons of finished LPB, at a cost approaching millions of Euros. This is clearly a much bigger financial loss compared to, for example, a non-food grade machine where slime growth on machine surfaces means smaller losses in terms of money, tonnage and downtime. To ensure that the hygienic quality of the final board meets the required specifications, manufacturers need to apply high-performance microbe control programs on their board machines. Over the past decade, Kemira has emerged as one of the leading global suppliers of microbe control solutions to the hygienic board industry. Based on numerous R and D programs and mill trials, we now have a better understanding of how to control process conditions and avoid process situations that cause sporulation. Recent results with new applications in mills show that we are clearly on the right track in taking some of the mystery out of these frustrating and costly disturbances. This report summarises some of the things we have learned which can help you keep your board within the hygiene specifications. Beside the scientific facts which we have discovered, we also have concluded that high hygiene can only be achieved through very close cooperation between the biocide supplier and the mill's production personnel.