News

How to Prevent Beerstone Buildup

Visiting a brewery is often a very enjoyable experience. You get to try new fresh, crisp beers that are being created only a short few step away. Yet only a few steps away, is a precipitate called beerstone, that may be hiding in tanks and kegs attempting to ruin that cold refreshing and enjoyable beverage.

Ultimate Brew Cleaner

Beerstone is a grayish-brown scale composed of calcium oxalate (CaC2O4) and other organic substances forming on the inside surfaces of brewing equipment. This precipitate is largely formed by a reaction between alkaline cleaners (caustic), hard water minerals (calcium and magnesium) and protein (amino acids).

What can this seemingly harmless buildup do to that savory drink? At the most innocent level it can shorten the shelf life of the beer and create “off” tasing flavors. At its most evil, it can ruin an entire batch of beer with its overpowering “off” flavoring., forcing the brewery to dump all that promising goodness. This can be costly and consumes valuable brewery time and resources and forces beer drinkers to miss out.

The long-term consequence is the metal underneath the beerstone can become oxygen depleted and lose passivity, causing pitting. This can increase the odds of beerstone forming (returning??) and causing damage to valuable equipment.

Avoiding this heartbreak, is extremely important for that breweries and brewers are properly cleaning and sanitizing their brewing equipment. Improper will run the risk of beerstone building up, making it difficult to remove due to its resiliency. 

A multistep approach is most effective for removing beerstone. Beerstone is a combination of protein buildup and mineral deposits, so removal works best when the protein is broken up using a caustic solution, such as AgroClean., The remaining buildup will dissolve when a heavy duty acidic cleaner, such as StrongHold, or a powerful acid sanitizer like Oxystrike is applied. Once free of beerstone, metal surfaces typically require less aggressive chemicals to keep buildup from reoccurring.

AgroClean is a caustic, non-foaming alkaline CIP detergent. It is chlorine and phosphate free with scale inhibitors and rinse aids to promote rapid and clean sheeting. It is available in various formulations to cope with your water conditions.

Stronghold acid rinse products are also available in a wide range of formulations. They are made to neutralize alkalinity and react with minerals to prevent build up.

Oxystrike is an EPA Registered Acid Sanitizer with a punch of nitric acid to prevent build up. It combines the intensity of an acid rinse against proteins and phosphate scale with the proven sanitizing efficacy of a peracetic acid, in one labor saving step.

Elbow before & after being treated
Elbow before and after being treated with OXYSTRIKE

To learn more about how our products can help in your brewing solutions click here.

News

What Are The Advantages of Using Peracetic Acid (PAA)?

There are many antimicrobial options readily available, however, using Peracetic Acid has a variety of advantages.  Keep reading here for a list of those advantages below.

peracetic acid uses
  • Highly effective biocide
    • It is an effective broad-spectrum biocide which continues to keep up with increasingly high standards of environmental legislation and disinfection practices.
  • Chlorine & phosphate free
  • Versatile
    • Due to its low impact, yet powerful cleansing properties, peracetic acid can be used as an EPA Registered Sanitizer and Disinfectant or an FDA Accepted antimicrobial.
  • Long shelf life
    • Based on the concentration, PAA has a shelf life that can range from 6 months to 2 years.
  • Multiple Concentrations
    • Since PAA is an equilibrium product, it can be formulated to have varying concentration levels
  • Environmentally friendly
    • PAA kills on contact and immediately breaks down into oxygen and water leaving no residue, eliminating the need to rinse.

For more information on our Peracetic Acid products and advantages keep reading here.

paa chemical advantages
News

What Applications Can Use Peracetic Acid?

Peracetic Acid

Since peroxyacetic acid is an equilibrium product, it can be formulated to have varying concentrations of PAA and hydrogen peroxide. Consequently, this allows PAA to be extremely versatile and used in an array of industries and different applications.

Here are some industries where the applications can be used:

Farming: Sanitizer in agricultural & poultry premises. Sanitizer to treat animal diseases by controlling pathogenic micro-organisms

Food & Beverage: Antimicrobial, disinfectant and sanitizer within commercial food establishments and processing equipment, brewery manufacturing processes and wineries.

Food Beverage Chemical Solutions

Industrial Cleaning: Quickly becoming a viable alternative in sanitization to Sodium Hypochlorite as it does not react with proteins to produce toxic or carcinogenic compounds.

Pulp & Paper: Antimicrobial and bleaching agent in pulp industries

Dairy: Sanitizer in dairy & cheese processing plants and pasteurizers

Healthcare: Potent virucide for sanitizing of medical facilities.

Oil & Gas: Antimicrobial use with treatment fluids in oilfield and gas field well operations such as well drilling, fracturing, productivity enhancement and secondary recovery.

Laundry: Used as a bleaching agent, sanitizer, disinfectant and oxidizer in commercial and industrial laundry tunnel washers.

Waste Water

Waste Water:PAA plays an important role in the treatment of wastewater. It’s used to control bacteria and inhibit microbes during the treatment process.

For more information about our Paracetic Acid products read here.

Paracetic Acid products
News

What is Peracetic Acid?

Peracetic Acid, also known as peroxyacetic acid or PAA, is an organic chemical compound (CH3CO3H) that is created by a chemical equilibrium reaction with acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide in water. It is a colorless liquid that has a strong vinegar like odor that can be experienced at very low levels. It is a strong oxidant and is highly reactive. However, it breaks down to acetic acid (vinegar) and water leaving no harmful residue, which makes it the chemical of choice when looking for an environmentally safe antimicrobial product.

What is Peracetic Acid

Since peroxyacetic acid (PAA) is an equilibrium product, it can be formulated to have varying concentrations of PAA and hydrogen peroxide. Consequently, this allows PAA to be extremely versatile and used in an array of industries and different applications. For example, some FDA formulated products have higher levels (15-22%) of peracetic acid and lower levels of hydrogen peroxide (10- 22.0 %); which reduce the possibility of discoloring the skin of either meat or poultry carcasses that are being treated. On the other hand, other formulations, may have a higher percentage of hydrogen peroxide that arrest various microorganisms like yeast and molds.

PAA functions as a sanitizer and disinfectant (when properly registered with the EPA) by oxidizing the outer cell membrane of microbes. The more concentrated the Peracetic acid solution, the more effective it is as an antimicrobial, but the greater the vapor concentration is potentially a greater the exposure risk to everyone around. This highly biocidal oxidizer shows good efficacy against a broad spectrum of pathogens. In fact, 100-200 ppm of PAA is far more biocidal than 10,000 ppm of Hydrogen peroxide. Peracetic acid behaves like other true oxidant biocides like Ozone, Chlorine dioxide, and Hypochlorous acid in disrupting protein synthesis and other intracellular functions in bacteria and fungi including cell membrane and wall metabolic functions, and is an environmentally safe and friendly antimicrobial, sanitizer and disinfectant.

To learn more about how Biosan produces a full line of EPA-registered and FDA-accepted Paracetic acid products for a variety of industries including industrial water treatment, meat and poultry processing, agriculture, oil & gas, waste water treatment and others click here.

News

CLEAN? SANITIZE? DISINFECT? WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

Whether you are at home or at work, it is important to keep areas free of germs to try to prevent the spread of diseases. When it comes to this, the words clean, sanitize, and disinfect are often used interchangeably. But there is a significant difference between the terms, and technical differences as well. Additionally, knowing the difference between them can help you to know exactly what products to buy, and how to use them to keep your home or workplace clean, safe, and healthy.

While at the core of it, cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting are aimed to achieve the same objective, creating a hygienic environment.     According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) these actions can be defined as:

  • Cleaning removes, dirt, and impurities from surfaces or objects.
  • Sanitizing lowers the number of pathogenic bacteria on surfaces by a minimum of 3 logs or by 99.9%.
  • Sanitizers that comes in contact with food must reduce the bacterial counts by 5 logs: 99.999%
  • Disinfecting is achieved when a product can reduce the bacterial counts by a minimum of 6 logs thus completely eliminating a specific pathogen(s). Bear in mind, disinfection does not mean sterility.

It is important to note however that before you sanitize or disinfect you need to clean the surface first. Germs can hide underneath dirt and other material on surfaces where they are not affected by a sanitizer or disinfectant. Dirt and organic material can also reduce the germ-killing ability of some sanitizers and disinfectants. Typically, cleaning is the first step toward the goal of creating a hygienic environment.

Cleaning refers to simply removing dirt and other impurities from a surface.  To effectively sanitize, and/or disinfect; a surface needs to be clean.  Once the surface is clean, the sanitizer or disinfectant (using disinfecting wipes for example) can better do its job of reducing or eliminating harmful bacteria.

Cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting graphic

Sanitizing is a treatment that lessens and even kills germs on surfaces to make them safe for contact. The two most common sanitizer types are:

  1. Non-food contact sanitizer for treatment of non-food contact surfaces like floors, walls, railings. Sanitizing is best for when the need is for a less robust antibacterial treatment.
  2. Food Contact Sanitizer when you want to sanitize items that come into contact with food: countertops, dishes, glassware, countertops or utensils.   A food contact sanitizer is often the last step in a cleaning process for food contact items.

Disinfection requires a stronger treatment than a sanitizer.  A disinfectant must completely eliminate specific pathogen(s).   Both disinfecting and sanitizing are a step up from regular cleaning because cleaning only removes visible dirt. When you sanitize or disinfect, you are removing potentially harmful pathogens that might not be visible to the naked eye.  In order to have a product be classified and be able to be marketed as a sanitizer or disinfectant for hard surfaces, they must be EPA Registered and must have data supporting the claims.

Now knowing the difference among the various disinfectant types, you can raise the question when should you sanitize, and when should you disinfect?  The answer to this question will depend on your objective:  Do you have a specific pathogen(s) you want to target?  In these uncertain times; the Covid-19 virus is one of the most targeted of all pathogens.  You can check to determine if your disinfectant is capable of disinfecting Covid-19 by checking the EPA List N.  Disinfectants on this list satisfies the EPA requirements for disinfecting this viral pathogen. Beside Covid-19,  EPA has 14 other lists that might be useful in selecting the right product for your objective.  Overall, disinfecting can lower the risk of infections from other pathogens like influenza, HIV, Staph or Salmonella.  

epa registered cleaners

Creating a clean, safe, and healthy environment requires discipline and the right set of cleaning products.  Clean is good but often you need to go beyond clean to create a hygienic environment by disinfecting or sanitizing your surroundings with the right cleaning products. 

News

BIOSAN RECEIVES KOSHER CERTIFICATION

Biosan, LLC has received Kosher certification for its peracetic products. These Kosher certified products are used for processing and meet USDA standards when used as directed.

The following products are Kosher certified:

BIOSAN 1510 MPS
BIOSAN 1522 MPS
BIOSAN 2205 MPS

OXYSAN 15 Acid Sanitizer
OXYSAN 1510 Antimicrobial
OXYSAN 2205 Antimicrobial
OXYSAN Acid Sanitizer

All of these products help to control bacteria and reduce bacterial contamination that can cause product spoilage. This eco-friendly process requires no rinsing, is non-foaming, and is non-corrosive to stainless steel.

Biosan, LLC, based in Saratoga Springs, NY, manufactures high-quality peracetic acid products for a variety of industries and applications, including food and beverage, cleaning and sanitation, agriculture and horticulture, waste water, and pulp and paper. The company offers both EPA-registered and FDA-accepted peracetic acid products for use as a sanitizer and antimicrobial. For more information, call (518) 886-9827 or visit https://biosanpaa.com.

News

BIOSAN RECEIVES OLR AND OFLR APPROVALS FOR THE POULTRY PROCESSING INDUSTRY

Biosan, LLC has received OLR-2114-N-B and OFLR-2115-N-B approval for the online and off-line reprocessing of poultry from the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture. 

 

Both BIOSAN 1510 MPS and BIOSAN 2205 MPS are approved products. With this approval, Biosan is now able to expand its antimicrobial product offerings to better serve the poultry processing industry.
BIOSAN 1510 MPS and BIOSAN 2205 MPS are environmentally friendly antimicrobial agents approved for a multitude of intervention points, including both online and off-line reprocessing (OLR / OFLR). This cost-effective product is a safer chlorine-free solution that produces no harmful byproducts when it breaks down into carbon dioxide, oxygen and water.

“We are proud to offer our high-quality peracetic acid for online and off-line reprocessing, this approval will allow us to expand our presence in the poultry industry” said Joe-Ben Mattos, Biosan Director of Sales in North America.
About Biosan

Biosan, LLC, based in Saratoga Springs, NY, manufactures high-quality peracetic acid products for a variety of industries and applications, including food and beverage, cleaning and sanitation, agriculture and horticulture, waste water, and pulp and paper. The company offers both EPA-registered and FDA-accepted peracetic acid products for use as a sanitizer and antimicrobial. For more information, call (518) 886-9827 or visit
https://biosanpaa.com.

News

OXYSAN PERACETIC ACID HIGHLY EFFECTIVE AGAINST GRAM-NEGATIVE BACTERIA ON LEAFY GREEN PRODUCE SURFACES

(Saratoga Springs, NY): OXYSAN, a peracetic acid antimicrobial wash from Biosan, LLC, was found to be highly effective against two gram-negative, foodborne, pathogenic bacteria on leafy green produce surfaces, according to a recent study from a national food safety testing laboratory.The study by Food Safety Net Services compared the presence of three different types of bacteria in OXYSAN-treated leafy green produce samples against samples treated with a tap water wash. All samples were kept at ambient room temperature during processing, and PAA concentrations were measured immediately after preparation, immediately prior to treatment, and immediately following treatment.

The study demonstrated that OXYSAN had a high degree of efficacy against Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica cells attached to leafy green produce surfaces, and was moderately effective against Listeria monocytogenes.

Biosan, LLC, based in Saratoga Springs, NY, manufactures high-quality peracetic acid products for a variety of industries and applications, including food and beverage, cleaning and sanitation, agriculture and horticulture, waste water, and pulp and paper. The company offers both EPA-registered and FDA-accepted peracetic acid products for use as a sanitizer and antimicrobial. For more information, call (518) 886-9827 or visit https://biosanpaa.com.

News

BIOSAN, LLC RELOCATES TO NEW PRODUCTION CENTER FACILITY DESIGNED EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE PRODUCTION OF PERACETIC ACID PRODUCTS

(Saratoga Springs, NY) — Biosan, LLC has relocated to a new production center to meet the growing demand for effective, safe peracetic acid products worldwide.“We know there is a growing demand for peracetic acid for a wide range of industries,” said Biosan, LLC President, Rob DeMarco. “With this new center, Biosan is now ready to meet the demand for effective sanitizing and disinfecting products for the food processinglaundryindustrialagriculture and horticulture industries.”

The new 38,000-square-foot production center features expanded manufacturing facilities, state-of-the art laboratories, a bulk tank farm, and an optimized floor plan. The efficient layout has reduced forklift hours, and the extensive process piping and controls have minimized handling of chemicals. Collectively, all the changes have improved efficiencies throughout the operation, leading to shorter lead times and increased output for Biosan customers in North America, Europe and Asia.

Biosan, LLC is based in Saratoga Springs, NY, manufactures high-quality peracetic acid products for a variety of industries and applications such as Food & Beverage, Cleaning and Sanitation, Industrial Laundry, Agriculture and Horticulture, Waste Water and Pulp & Paper. The company offers both EPA-registered and FDA-accepted peracetic acid products for use as a sanitizer, disinfectant and antimicrobial. For more information, call (518) 886-9827 or visit www.biosanpaa.com.

News

BIOSAN, LLC RECEIVES FCN CERTIFICATION FOR PERACETIC ACID

(Saratoga Springs, NY) – Biosan, LLC has received a Food Contact Substance Notification (FCN 001639) for its peracetic acid products. Issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), this FCN Certification enables Biosan to broaden its antimicrobial product offerings to better serve the food processing industry.

“FCN 1639 allows Biosan to provide a high-quality peracetic acid for use as a safe, non-rinse antimicrobial for the meat, poultry, fruit and vegetable industries,” said Joe-Ben Mattos, Biosan Director of Sales in North America.

The Food Substance Contact Notificationand certification process is administered by the Center for Food Safety and Nutrition (CFSAN). In order to receive the certification, manufacturers must submit to a 120-day review period to evaluate the safety of their products as they come into contact with food substances. The FDA has recently updated this process by changing guidelines that detail data requirements for manufacturing, chemistry, toxicology, and environmental aspects of production and use of product.

Biosan, LLC, based in Saratoga Springs, NY, manufactures high-quality peracetic acid products for a variety of industries and applications, including food and beverage, cleaning and sanitation, agriculture and horticulture, laundry, waste water, and pulp and paper. The company offers both EPA-registered and FDA-accepted peracetic acid products for use as a sanitizer and antimicrobial. For more information, call (518) 876-9827 or visit https://biosanpaa.com.