Most of the things humanity can do are only possible because of access to clean food and water.
It’s why food processing plants make it a point to purify the water they use at all points of their processes.
Of course, getting that needs a process of its own. Start with the purity of your water at home. That depends mainly on its source. The municipal water supply may be the safest since it undergoes a thorough treatment process. Other water sources like rivers, boreholes, shallow wells, or springs are too vulnerable to pollution to be relied on.
And yet, even this may still pick up impurities within the pipes on its way to your area. Thus, a truly safe and dependable water system must have proper purification measures. Filters fill this need, as provided by purifying experts like Filtap and many others.
Whether you’re part of a processing plant’s quality or administrative team or simply a concerned citizen, it pays to learn more about this. Here are the things you need to know about the importance of water filtration for safe food processing.
Typical Water Contaminants
Water filtration works by removing contaminants not visible to the naked eye. These are common culprits for a lot of problems that harm both consumers and producers.
The most common water contaminants are:
- Microbes: These include bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and parasites. They mostly come from sewers, septic systems, and animal waste. When consumed, they cause diseases like typhoid, cholera, giardia, dysentery, Escherichia Coli, Salmonella, and Hepatitis A.
- Heavy metals: Lead, iron, mercury, cadmium, copper, chromium, and arsenic fall under this discovery. Some of them dissolve from the bedrock into groundwater, while others come from industrial wastes, paints, leaded gasoline, and mining run-off. They can cause acute and chronic toxicity and diseases of the liver, kidney, and intestines. Plus, they raise the risk of cancer.
- Suspended solids: Soil and organic matter may get into surface water sources and cause a cloudy appearance and foul smell.
- Fluorine and chlorine: Some water treatment facilities may add too much chlorine or fluorine into the water. Excess chlorine may cause stomach aches, vomiting, and diarrhoea. Meanwhile, too much fluoride may cause dental and skeletal fluorosis.
Knowing how much harm these contaminants can cause to humans, you can see how valuable proper water filtration truly is.
What Can Water Filtration Do?
After going through the common contaminants, here’s what filtration does to remove them from food processing:
- It eliminates harmful chemicals: Reverse osmosis filters can remove most chemicals, heavy metals, and impurities in water, preventing them from harming consumers.
- It improves the taste of food: Filtering eliminates foul smells and organic matter in water, making food fresher and tastier.
- It helps lengthen shelf-life: Water filtration eliminates microorganisms that hasten food spoilage or cause food poisoning. This ensures products hold up their quality, staying edible for much longer.
- It helps preserve food preparation equipment: Pots, pans, and water heaters can accumulate mineral deposits from unprocessed water. This speeds up the corrosion process, causing them to break down over time. It’s why water filters also remove excess calcium, magnesium, and salts.
Tips For Water Filtration
Water filtration comes in many modalities you can change to fit specific needs. Regardless of the equipment you use, here are some tips you should know to make them more effective:
- Test The Water
Choosing the right kind of filter starts by testing the water to determine the level of impurities. This will require precise measurements that only experts can carry out. Set an appointment with a dependable water testing provider to learn all about its capabilities before contracting.
- Go For High-Quality Filters
As mentioned earlier, reverse osmosis filters are the most thorough in removing impurities from water. They can eliminate heavy metals, pesticides, parasites, nitrates, sulphates, bacteria, fluoride, pharmaceuticals, and viruses. You’d want to install these systems if your water source has tons of impurities.
If your primary concern is eliminating microbes from water, an ultraviolet (UV) filtration system can suffice. They shine UV rays into the water, killing most disease-causing microorganisms. For suspended solids, you need a sedimentation filter. It uses a series of fine meshes to eliminate sediments layer by layer.
- Sustainability Is Key
A poorly maintained filtration system wastes quite an amount of water. So, you’d want to replace the filters as often as recommended to maintain optimal efficiency. Also, you don’t have to expel water after using it in the plant. Ideally, your filtration system can also help you maintain sustainability by reusing water. This lets you cut costs while also reducing your impact on the environment.
Maintain Water Quality With Proper Filtration
Safe food processing saves lives. That’s why you must ensure your filtration system meets the standards set by the industry. This ensures quality products and customer satisfaction. Get high-quality purifiers from legitimate manufacturers.
