Dairy Industry

Most farms in the US use some form of mechanized system to milk cows. The system usually involves a rubber-lined suction cup that milks the cow, and a series of pipes that transfers the milk to a central refrigerated tank. At the end of the day, the whole system undergoes a four-step CIP process. The pipes are first rinsed with warm water to remove the milk, and are flushed with a chlorinated detergent at a high temperature to remove soils such as fat and protein deposits. A weak acid is used to neutralize the detergent and remove mineral deposits, and finally the pipes are sanitized with an approved sanitizing agent.

Studies have been performed by Penn State researchers to investigate the use of Ultra-Lyte^® as a replacement for the chemicals used to clean and disinfect milking equipment. The researchers flushed warm raw milk laden with typical dairy bacteria down a series of pipes set up to mimic the system on a farm, then compared the cleaning and disinfecting power of Ultra-Lyte^® to conventional treatments. The results showed that within 7.5 -10 minutes, Ultra-Lyte^® was as effective in removing organic matter from the pipes as conventional treatments, with the added benefit of not adding toxic chemicals to the process, and ultimately the product.