In food production, mold control is not only about cleaning the equipment.
Some products continue to move through the production process after forming, salting or aging. During this time, their surface can come into contact with microorganisms from the environment.
A cheese production facility faced this challenge on a conveyor section where semi-hard and hard cheeses were transported after processing.
The goal was to reduce the risk of surface mold development without changing the existing production process.
The production conditions
The conveyor was located in a high-humidity area near the salting section.
The operating conditions were challenging:
conveyor width: 500 mm;
belt speed: 63–95 m/h;
air temperature: 8–12 °C;
high humidity due to salt solution evaporation;
permanent presence of operators near the equipment.
The solution had to fit into the existing line without stopping production or changing the conveyor design.
Why surface treatment is difficult
UV treatment of a moving product is very different from disinfecting air or water.
The product is only under the UV source for a limited amount of time.
The actual effect depends on:
distance between the lamps and the surface;
conveyor speed;
lamp output;
exposure time;
product geometry;
possible shadow areas.
A slower conveyor gives more exposure time.
A larger distance reduces the UV intensity reaching the surface.
Therefore, the mechanical installation becomes just as important as the lamp characteristics.
Calculating the irradiation zone
Before selecting the equipment, the conveyor parameters were analyzed.
The required UV dose had to be achieved at the maximum belt speed of 95 m/h.
The calculation showed that a compact three-lamp configuration could provide the required exposure when installed approximately 200 mm above the product surface.
The limited installation space was one of the main design factors.
The influence of humidity
One of the additional challenges was the environment.
The salting area contained:
high humidity;
salt vapors;
low operating temperature.
These conditions can affect electrical components and reduce the reliability of equipment installed directly in the production zone.
Because of this, the power electronics were separated from the irradiation area.
The ballasts were either moved outside the humid zone or placed in protected enclosures.
Equipment configuration
The conveyor UV system included:
stainless steel housing;
three UV lamps;
electronic lamp power supply;
operating-hour counter;
external status indication.
The UV lamps had:
service life up to 16,000 hours;
resistance to repeated switching cycles;
design adapted for operation in industrial conditions.
The compact housing allowed the unit to be installed directly above the conveyor without changing the existing line.
Why lamp positioning matters
For conveyor applications, the lamp arrangement determines the uniformity of treatment.
If lamps are too far apart, some areas may receive less radiation.
If they are too far from the product, the intensity decreases.
In this project, the lamps were positioned close to each other and close to the product surface to create a concentrated irradiation zone.
This approach is often used when the available installation length is limited.
Safety considerations
Since operators were working near the conveyor, the UV zone required protection.
The design included shielding elements to prevent direct exposure of personnel while allowing the product to pass through the treatment area.
This is an important difference between industrial conveyor systems and open UV lamps.
The useful radiation must reach the product, but not the people working nearby.
What this project shows
UV treatment on food conveyors is a combination of several engineering disciplines:
microbiology;
mechanical design;
electrical integration;
automation;
workplace safety.
The lamp power alone does not determine the result.
A successful system depends on matching:
conveyor speed;
installation height;
irradiation time;
lamp arrangement;
environmental conditions.
In this cheese production application, a compact UV system was integrated into an existing conveyor line operating in a humid production environment.
The main challenge was not installing UV lamps.
It was making sure that the required treatment conditions were achieved while keeping the production process unchanged.
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