Maintenance, Hygiene, Sanitizing & Cleaning

Maintenance

Soft Serve Machines can be compared to a car, particularly when it comes to maintenance. They both have motors, belts, pulleys, parts that need lubrication and parts that wear out. Regular scheduled maintenance is important to ensure your soft serve machine lasts for years.

Scheduled maintenance:
It is recommended that soft serve machines get at least one complete service annually for normal use, but twice a year for machines that work very hard.

Replacing parts that wear out:

• Seals and O-rings must be replaced every 3 months. 
• Machines using metal blades on the beater assembly: Replace every 6 months. 
• Machines using plastic blades on the beater assembly: Replace every 3 months. 
• Machines where the beater assembly is also the blade: Replace every 2 years for plastic and every 3 - 5 years for metal. Check machine supplier´s recommendations.

Hygiene

Like all food products, Frosty Boy Soft Serve must be handled with care to avoid the risk of contamination. Hygiene is absolutely essential for two reasons:

1. It is the Law!*
2. It is the best way to ensure your customers will keep coming back for their favourite ice cream.

This next section sets out a basic hygiene routine to follow whenever you are handling Frosty Boy Soft Serve. If you follow this to the letter, you won´t go wrong.

*What is the Law (In Australia)?

1. The Food Safety Laws vary slightly from state to state; contact you local council for specific details. 

Important background information about bacteria

Bacteria and other micro-organisms can be found everywhere - in the air, on dust, utensils, clothing, skin and hair. They are commonly spread through the air, by contact and via insects and other small creatures. The growth of bacteria is alarming. Under ideal conditions they will double every 20 minutes. From a single bacterium it will take 7 hours to reach 2 Million bacteria, after another hour that number will have risen to 16 Million. Common spoilage bacteria found in dairy products include coliforms (E. coli), yeasts and moulds. Other types, such as Salmonella, Staphylococci and Listeria may cause illness.

PERSONAL HYGIENE

Staphylococci are commonly found in the nose, throat, mouth and on hands. Infected cuts and scratches are often full of Staphylococci and the toxins produced by these bacteria can result in food poisoning. To prevent contamination, protect cuts and scratches, avoid sneezing and blowing your nose or licking your fingers when handling food products.

Salmonella bacteria are commonly found in human and animal bowels resulting in bouts of diarrhoea. Not washing hands thoroughly after visiting the toilet and then handling food can lead to other people becoming ill from Salmonella poisoning.

Coliforms are also inhabitants of the human bowel. E.coli contamination of food is extremely dangerous and may lead to serious illness.

Before preparing soft serve, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water, rinse properly and dry using disposable paper towel.

MACHINE OPERATION

More specific sanitizing procedures must be followed according to the guidelines in your Machine Operators Manual. In any event, the following Operator Checklist should be followed at all times:

• Do not overfill the hopper (reservoir tank).
• Keep soft serve covered at all times - in the mixing bucket after mixing while the powder rehydrates and by covering the hopper/ reservoir tank with the lid after refilling.
• Use only approved food grade lubricant for lubricating O-rings and seals - and keep the cap on the tube. Also dip the tube into sanitizer water before use as the outside may also be unsanitary.
• Clean the machine frequently as per your Machine Manufacturer´s instructions, which may be every day.
• Always start up the machine with fresh mix.
• Discard any leftover mix every 3 days. This will break the bacterial chain.
• When cleaning, only use brushes dedicated to the soft serve machine and brush all parts thoroughly - including the inside of the barrel - with every clean. This will prevent the build-up of hard calcium deposits which can harbour bacteria. 
• Air dry all machine parts and utensils after cleaning. Remember, bacteria need water to survive.

MIXTURE PREPARATION

Water
Bacteria need water to survive. By drying out food - such as powdered soft serve mix - it is prevented from ´going off´. It is therefore also important to wash, sanitize and air-dry machine parts and mixing utensils.

Temperature
Bacteria is also sensitive to temperature. Food stored at 8 - 40ºC (46 - 104º F.) provides the ideal growing conditions for bacteria. Bacteria subjected to temperatures below 4ºCelsius (40ºF.) will continue to grow but at a much slower rate.

Sanitizing
Soaking and brushing machine parts will dislodge any product build-up that may harbour bacteria. However, poor cleaning of machines and utensils inevitably leads to bacteria contamination. Bacteria are destroyed by dairy-approved sanitizing chemicals. In Australia, TAYLOR SANITIZER, when mixed at the ratio of one heaped teaspoon to two litres of water, will take 5 minutes to destroy bacteria on a clean surface - so ensure mixing utensils and machine parts are immersed in sanitizer liquid for no less than 5 minutes. Follow the recommended cleaning procedure and sanitize all equipment that will be used during preparation.

Storage
Soft Serve, once opened and mixed, must be stored in a sealed, sanitized container under refrigerated conditions, that is 4ºC (40ºF) or below - but must not be frozen. Once mix is prepared or opened, store under refrigerated conditions for no longer than three days.

IN SUMMARY

• Keep yourself, mixing utensils and equipment clean.
• Avoid touching food and food contact surfaces wherever possible.
• Wash your hands before working with food and especially after going to the toilet.
• Always use disposable paper towel to dry your hands.
• Make sure all soft serve, once prepared or opened, is stored under refrigerated conditions immediately.
• Avoid working with food if you have a cold or feel ill.

You have a responsible job. The quality of the product and the satisfaction of the customer is in your hands.

Sanitizing Procedure

Items Required:

• TAYLOR Sanitizer
• 2 x 10 or 15 litre Frosty Boy Mixing Buckets
• 2 litre jug
• Disposable towelling.   

• To make up Sanitizer solution: Dissolve 1 heaped teaspoon of TAYLOR SANITIZER  in 2 litres of water (Australia only)
• Switch the Soft Serve Machine to ´WASH´ and remove the mix feed tube and/or pump assembly from the hopper, wash, brush-clean and then rinse them under running water and place in TAYLOR sanitizing solution. 
• Run machine for 10 minutes on ‘ WASH ’ in order for soft serve to defrost and go to a liquid state. 
• Drain out any leftover soft serve mix in the machine into a bucket, which has been well cleaned, sanitized and rinsed with clean water beforehand. 
• Cover bucket containing soft serve mix with lid or plastic wrap and place in refrigerator - DO NOT FREEZE. 
• Switch Soft Serve Machine to ´OFF´ position. 
• Pour 3 jugs of water into the machine, switch to ´WASH´ again for 15 seconds and drain, then switch Soft Serve Machine to ´OFF´ position. 
• Again pour in 3 jugs of water (cool or warm - not hot) each containing 1 heaped teaspoon of TAYLOR sanitizer, into the hopper, run for 5 minutes on  ´WASH ´. 
• While on WASH, wipe the hopper with disposable towelling dipped in warm sanitizer water to remove any visible fatty deposits in hopper, then drain. 
• Switch Soft Serve Machine to ´OFF´ position. Brush the drainage tube connecting the barrel and the hopper with correct size brush and dismantle. 
• Brush-clean then rinse all removable parts under tap before immersing in TAYLOR sanitizer; including faceplate, gaskets, drip-tray and rear drive shaft. 
• Brush clean the barrel with barrel-brush then wipe barrel, hopper and hopper lid with clean towel soaked in TAYLOR sanitizer. Rinse towel in sanitizer and repeat process until entire machine has been cleaned down. 
• Leave to air-dry. Before re-assembling, wash and sanitize hands and lubricant tube! 
• Lubricate all O-rings and seals according to the Operator´s Manual and reassemble.
• Make up one jug of sanitizer water, pour into machine and switch to WASH for 5 minutes, then drain.
• Your machine is now ready for use.
• NOTE: Do not rinse with clean water as it may be a source of contamination.
• As soft serve is poured into the machine, drain the first cup of soft serve out of the machine as this will purge any leftover sanitizer water from the barrel.