Do you know that there is no better method of cleaning and disinfection in wineries than using steam?
The major advantage of using steam instead of hot water for cleaning and disinfection is the higher temperature and thermal energy provided by the steam.
The high temperature of steam – usually above 100°C – offers several advantages:
Sterilization and Disinfection: Steam at high temperatures can effectively sterilize and disinfect the equipment and containers used in the wine production process, helping to eliminate bacteria, yeast, and other microorganisms that could spoil the wine or affect its quality.
Thorough Cleaning: Steam can penetrate into small cracks and pores, providing a more thorough and complete cleaning compared to high-pressure washing. This is important to ensure that all surfaces, including hard-to-reach areas, are adequately disinfected.
Chemical-Free Cleaning: Steam cleaning reduces the reliance on chemical cleaning agents, resulting in a more environmentally friendly and sustainable cleaning process, in line with the growing interest in eco-friendly practices within the wine industry.
Versatility: Steam cleaning can be used for a variety of winemaking equipment, including barrels, tanks, destemmers, bottling lines, and floors. Steam cleaning is gentler on equipment and surfaces compared to highpressure washers, which can sometimes damage delicate components.
Fast Drying: Steam evaporates quickly, resulting in shorter drying times for equipment and surfaces. Fast drying is beneficial for maintaining a hygienic environment and reducing the risk of microbial growth.
Preservation of Wine Characteristics: Unlike hot water, the high temperatures of steam do not introduce additional water content, helping to preserve the unique characteristics and flavors of the wine during the cleaning process.
Elimination of Cross-Contamination: High-pressure washers can potentially spread contaminants, such as bacteria or cleaning chemicals, from one area to another. Steam, with its high temperature, effectively helps eliminate pathogens, reducing the risk of cross-contamination between different parts of the wine production facility.
Eco-Friendly Disinfection Solution: Optima Steamer is the most eco-friendly solution as it uses a fraction of water compared to any pressure machine for sanitizing and disinfecting tanks and barrels, avoiding wastewater generation.
Worker Safety: High-pressure washers can present safety risks to workers if not used correctly. Steam cleaning can provide a safer working environment by minimizing the risk of accidents associated with high-pressure equipment.
OPTIMA STEAMER – Barrel Disinfection
Dry steam penetrates deep into the wood’s pores where hot water and chemicals cannot reach, making steam a much more effective way of eliminating yeast strains like Brettanomyces from wooden barrels. It is proven that steam at a temperature of over 100°C, for 5 minutes, will destroy all active bacteria, yeast, and fungi, even tackling the most resilient yeast strains, resistant to low pH, high alcohol content, and/or SO2, thus preventing spoilage by microbes. Combined with our barrel tool, dry steam penetrates the surface and pores of the wood.
Due to its gaseous properties, steam can reach 3-5 mm into the wood, using moisture and temperature to naturally kill hidden bacteria.
Furthermore, dry steam rehydrates the barrels while disinfecting them and achieves results in minutes, without chemicals and with very low water consumption.
Steam is also an excellent way to clean nooks and crannies around the winery and tasting room.
OPTIMA STEAMER – Tank and Bottling Line Cleaning
It reaches over 115°C inside tanks in record time. While using water and chemicals fed through a pressure washer with rotating nozzles can meet cleaning requirements, disinfecting the inner surface of tanks (stainless steel, concrete, and HDPE plastic) requires more science.
Most microorganisms are eliminated when exposed to a certain temperature for a certain period. The quickest and most environmentally friendly way to disinfect every corner of the surface is to use moist heat, also known as saturated steam. Unlike hot water, saturated steam (also known as dry steam), which is the gaseous form of water carrying heat, can bypass obstacles and reach areas where liquid hot water cannot. In a case study, the Optima Steamer SE 42kW generated a temperature of 94°C in a 23,000-litre stainless steel tank in 40 minutes. This cleaning is done without chemicals and uses only a few litres of water.
Steam is perfect for CIP. Parts of the equipment on the bottling line can be delicate and cannot be exposed to highly acidic chemicals or high pressure. Dry steam can reach a temperature of over 115°C through nozzles and pipes within the bottling lines, with less time and water consumption.
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About us
Vapor Sobre Ruedas is a company dedicated to the distribution of professional steam cleaning machinery in Spain.
We have been working for 15 years, providing cleaning and disinfection solutions in the industrial sector.
Our mission is to help producers reduce costs and increase the effectiveness of resources used for maintenance and cleaning of their facilities.
Our vision is to eliminate the problem of contamination from external agents, ensuring the maximum purity of the wine product during its production.
We are fully aware of the environmental impact of using chemicals, as well as the risk it poses to the production chain, so we only work with steam, minimizing water consumption and respecting the environment.
