Differences Between Sanitisation, Sterilisation and Cleaning
Sanitisation vs Sterilization
Sanitation is not sterilization. While sterilization ensures 100% free from any contamination by microorganisms, it is prohibitively expensive and thus, is not a realistic goal for the operator. Sanitisation is a more attainable goal. Sanitation seeks to reduce the number of organisms to a level where they can no longer have an impact on the flavours.
Sanitisation vs. Cleaning
Sanitisation is not possible without cleaning. Visual inspection is the best way to determine if a surface is cleaned. A surface is clean when it is free of organic deposits, films, etc. Differentiating between cleaning and sanitizing chemicals is important as cleaning chemicals are very powerful and are usually non-food grade in order to effectively remove organic deposits. Cleaning chemicals need to be thoroughly rinsed after use.