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Sanitation (USA)

Equivalent to hygiene in general terminology for the food industry.

Sanitiser

Different meanings dependent on country. In the UK generally refers to a combination detergent and disinfectant.

Sanitizer (USA)

A substance that reduces the microbial contaminants on inanimate surfaces to levels that are considered safe for public health. According to the official food contact surface sanitizer test, a sanitizer is a chemical that reduces the microbial contamination of two standard organisms, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, by 99.999% or 5 logs in 30 seconds, at 25°C. Non-food contact sanitizers must reduce contamination by 99.9% or 3 logs in 5 minutes.

Sanitizing or Sanitization (USA)

A process applied to a cleaned surface capable of reducing the numbers of the most resistant human pathogens by at least 5 log10 reductions (99.999%) to 7 log10 reductions (99.99999%) by applying accumulated hot water, hot air, or steam, or by applying an EPA-registered sanitizer according to label directions. Sanitizing may be effected by mechanical or manual methods using hot water, steam, or an approved sanitizer.

Saponification

Is the chemical reaction between an alkali and an animal or vegetable fat to produce soap.

SCADA

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition

Scavenge

Refers to the pumping of cleaning fluids away from the bottom of a vessel.

Scavenge Pump

Refers to the pump typically positioned below a vessel being cleaned. Pumps are most commonly centrifugal or liquid ring type pumps.

Scrubber Dryer

Machine with a cylindrical or rotary brush that will spray a chemical onto a floor, agitate the liquid then suck the soil back into a holding tank, leaving the floor clean and dry.

Seal a Floor

To add a protective removable seal to a porous floor surface.

Sequestrant

Substance which combines with calcium and magnesium salts to change or inhibit the formation of mineral scales. Stoichiometric sequestrants react molecule for molecule with calcium or magnesium ions thus not allowing the formation of calcium or magnesium carbonates or sulphates (mineral scale). Threshold sequestrants interact with the formation of mineral scale salts and change their morphology.

Shelf-life

Length of time a product can remain active and effective. Light, temperature, organic matter and metals can affect chemical stability.

SIP

Sterilisation in Place

Slip Coefficient

A measurement of the coefficient of friction as measured on the James machine, an instrument used to test the static coefficient of friction of a surface.

Slurry

A temporary suspension of insoluble solids or immiscible liquids in a carrier base.

Sodium Hypochlorite

Sodium hypochlorite is a chemical compound with the formula NaClO. It is composed of a sodium cation (Na+ ) and a hypochlorite anion (ClO− ); it may also be viewed as the sodium salt of hypochlorous acid. When dissolved in water it is commonly known as bleach or liquid bleach.

Soil

Any undesirable/objectionable material on surfaces in the equipment or process environment. i.e. Residues of debris that should not be there.

Solutions

Water and/or those homogeneous mixtures of cleaning agents and/or disinfectants and water used for flushing, cleaning, rinsing and disinfection

Solvents

A liquid which dissolves another substance, water being the most common

Spray extraction

This is the process associated with carpet and upholstery cleaning machines. The method is to spray a diluted chemical under pressure in to a carpet. It is followed by sucking up the chemical and soil in to a holding tank by vacuum. Usually done in one process by the same machine.

Sprayball

Is a sprayhead with fixed holes and non-rotating.

Sprayhead

Is a device that sprays cleaning fluid onto the internal surface of a vessel. Sprayheads can be of many designs but are generally classified into low pressure and high pressure sprayheads.

Squeegee

A tool with a 'rubber' edge to remove water from floors also available for windows. windows.

Stainless Steel - 304

SAE 304 stainless steel also known as A2 stainless steel or commercially as 18/10 or 18/8 stainless steel, European norm 1.4301, is the most common stainless steel. The steel contains both chromium (between 18-20%) and nickel (between 8-10.5%) metals as the main non-iron constituents. It is an austenitic stainless steel. It is less electrically and thermally conductive than carbon steel and is essentially non-magnetic. It has a higher corrosion resistance than regular steel and is widely used because of the ease in which it is formed into various shapes.

Stainless Steel - 316

SAE 316L grade stainless steel, also known as A4, is a standard for an austenic variety of stainless steel given the American SAE designation "316L" which indicates that this steel is low-carbon subtype of marine grade stainless steel containing 16-18% chromium, 10-14% nickel, 2.0-3.0% molybdenum. The second most common grade (after 304); for food and surgical stainless steel uses. The alloy addition of molybdenum prevents specific forms of corrosion particuarly resistance to pitting corrosion caused by chloride ions.

Steam cleaning

Using a machine that heats water to about 120°C. This is then expelled under pressure on to the surface to be cleaned.

Sterilisation

Process of killing all forms of microbial life including fungi, viruses, spores and vegetive bacteria.

Sterilise

Complete destruction of all living organisms.

Strip and Polish

To remove old polish from a floor with chemicals. A suitable polish is then re applied to the floor surface. It will enhance the look and act as a sacrificial surface to protect the original floor surface from wear. Floor polish is usually a water based emulsion of polymers and waxes that can easily be removed with the right floor polish stripper.

Sulphamic Acid

Sulfamic acid is a molecular compound with the formula H3NSO3. This colorless, water-soluble compound finds many applications and is frequently used for removing rust and lime scale.

Sulphuric Acid

Sulphuric acid is a mineral acid with the molecular formula H2SO4. It is a colorless odorless syrupy liquid that is soluble in water. Its corrosiveness can be mainly ascribed to its strong acidic nature.

Surface treatment

A process whereby chemical or mechanical properties of the existing surface are altered.

Surfactants (surface active agents)

Surfactants are materials that lower the surface tension (or interfacial tension) between two liquids or between a liquid and a solid for instance; for instance allowing water to wet surfaces.

Synergism

A combined or coordinated action between two or more components where the effect of the combination is greater than the sum of the parts.