Produce Spray Nozzles for Cleaning & Washing

Spray nozzles are available in a variety of shapes and sizes, and they can assist you and your business in countless ways. At Lechler USA, we provide numerous spray nozzles for dozens of industries and innumerable needs. We want to take a few moments to focus on the spray nozzles used in food and beverage production. More specifically, we will discuss the many nozzles involved in vegetable washing and preparing produce and food for packing, shipping, and ultimately the consumer. 

Spray patterns and types:

At Lechler USA, we recognize most people do not think about the different types of spray stream options. We also know that industry leaders sometimes need a lot more variety, angles, directions, impact, and options when seeking to find the right spray nozzle and its capabilities to meet their specific needs.

When it comes to food production, you can never be too clean. We have developed spray nozzles to work from various distances to ensure the deepest and most complete and thorough sanitation. Pressure is also a large concern. As you can imagine, the amount of pressure per square inch (psi) needed to clean a hard, freshly unearthed carrot covered in dirt is vastly different from the pressure required to clean a soft grape recently plucked from the vine. At Lechler USA, we provide nozzles that can accommodate a variety of different psi to clean the dirtiest potato while not harming the blueberries. Lastly, the spray direction is essential. We have developed spray nozzles that operate by attacking the soiled surface from above and below; this provides a holistic cleaning process. Finally, we have produced spray nozzles that spray from the side. This provides the manufacturer with the capability to achieve a 360-degree cleaning solution no matter what their food and beverage needs are - from barrels and tanks to lettuce and Brussel sprouts - you can “veg out” while your spray nozzles do the hard work.

Disinfection and hygiene:

When it comes to food preparation, the cleaner, the better, it is essential to ensure the equipment used to clean and prepare fresh produce to go to market is disinfected and hygienic.

“Equipment and components must be designed accordingly, so they are easy to clean. The hygienic design prevents recesses and gaps that can harbor dirt, unfavorable flow areas (dead spaces), and sinks that hinder the run-off of fluids. At the same time, attention is paid to maintaining the least surface roughness possible . . . Lechler supplies various nozzles and rotating cleaning nozzles that have been designed with these requirements in mind.”[1]

With this in mind, the engineers at Lechler USA have developed a series of spray nozzles that can clean and nook and cranny to ensure bacteria has no place to hide.

Why would you need spray nozzles in the food industry?

We have broken the process of produce production into four categories. You can see below just a few of the ways our spray nozzles and help you get your produce from the field to the market:

Some applications of disinfection and hygienic spray nozzles are useful in:

  • Hand disinfection
  • Work equipment disinfection
  • Sole and boot cleaning

Product preparation:

  • Cleaning fruit and vegetables
  • Bottles and barrel cleaning
  • Equipment and tank cleaning
  • Pack washers

Product treatment:

  • Coating or disinfecting

Filling and packing:

  • Sterilization
  • Filler equipment cleaning

What are the different kinds of spray patterns?

There are dozens of spray nozzles that are capable of achieving various outcomes.  We will highlight a few that are common in food production.

  • Series 468 full cone nozzles are ideal for cleaning produce. The reason is that with a 60° angle stream, the water can clean fruits and vegetables precisely.
  • Static spray ball: This is a nozzle with a head that looks somewhat like a colander. There will be patterned holes around the entire head, and the result is a spray that can clean 360-degrees. These are ideal to be inserted into a tank or container for a rinse clean.
  • The VarioSpray II is ideal for coating and disinfecting. The nozzle valve system pulses in intervals and offers the ability to spray small but very precise portions of water or solution.
  • Pneumatic atomizing nozzles: these spray nozzles are great for sanitation, humidification, coating, cooling, and glazing.  The stream of liquid is more concentrated from these spray nozzles. “The Atomizing Air Port influences the atomization of the liquid into either small or large droplet sizes, simultaneously affecting spray distribution in the center of the spray pattern.”[2]
  • Axial-flow hollow cone nozzles: These nozzles are great for disinfecting, cleaning, humidification, cooling, foam precipitation, and more. The way these spray nozzles work is by emitting the stream in a cone shape. The water or cleaning solutions emanate in a reversed funnel pattern, which allows the solution to cover a larger area without releasing too much water.

Can one nozzle do it all?

At Lechler USA, we have 140 years of experience in multiple countries and industries, and we have scoured the Earth to ensure you have what you need for your food production. Different types of food preparation will benefit from different types of spray nozzles. Here are just a few more specific uses of spray nozzles in food production:

  • Cleaning cans: “cans must be disinfected on both the outside and inside. Flat fan nozzles and full cone nozzles can be utilized for this process.”

As you can see, there are nozzles that are ideal for cleaning fruits and vegetables. There are also spray nozzles that are ideal for cleaning the equipment that transports the produce during processing. There are spray nozzles that are ideal for cleaning the containers that carry them from the processing plants to the grocery store. Finally, there are spray nozzles that keep your produce fresh on the shelf in the store with a light mist.

Did you find what you needed?

We have taken a brief moment to give an overview of just a few of our spray nozzles involved in food and beverage production, specifically fruit and vegetable production. Click here to contact us with any questions on how we can help you equip your company with the spray nozzles you need to get your produce ready for market.  

 

[1]https://www.lechlerusa.com/fileadmin/media-usa/Literature/Brochures/Industrial/Food_and_beverage_brochure.pdf page 15

[2]https://www.lechlerusa.com/fileadmin/media-usa/Literature/Brochures/Industrial/Food_and_beverage_brochure.pdf page 44