Disinfection must be performed before each operation involved in processing an OF, filling
and packing an OC, transfer and storage, for a formula where the officialization includes a
microbiological requirement (see specific technical Dossier provided by the supervising
plant).
Disinfection must ensure the microbiological cleanliness of the internal surfaces of
production equipment.
Only thermal disinfection is authorized. The means used for thermal disinfection are:
- steam
- hot softened water
- dry heat
Chemical disinfection may be used exceptionally by subcontractors who cannot perform
thermal disinfection. In this context, the subcontractor should make up a disinfection
validation dossier which:
- proves the efficiency of chemical disinfection : microbial cleanliness after final rinsing
of the equipment must be compatible with the microbiological quality requirements for
finished products
- proves the harmlessness, i.e. the absence of any chemical contamination risk for the
bulk, taking into account the complexity of the installation (retention area, etc.) and
control of rinsing water through search for disinfectant residues
- identifies the chemical disinfectant(s) used
The supervising plant validates and authorizes or not chemical disinfection and the use of
the disinfectant(s) used on the basis of the validation dossier prepared by the
subcontractor. The subcontractor must strictly conform to the use of the authorized
disinfectant(s).
The subcontractor must know, have access to and comply with the status of the
equipment (empty, clean, disinfected).