Minimizing the environmental impact of cleaning in winemaking industry by using ozone for cleaning-in-place (CIP) of wine bottling machine

In winemaking industry, good cleaning and sanitization practices are essential in bottle filling process to preserve quality and avoid subsequent alterations after bottling, when microbes find environment favourable for their development. Devices connected by pipelines, like wine bottling machines, are usually cleaned using Cleaning-in-Place (CIP) method, generally requiring a high consumption of water and the use of chemical cleaning detergents with a negative impact on the environment. Ozone has recently attracted attention due to its efficacy against a broad spectrum of microorganisms and its ability to clean leaving no residues on treated surfaces, protecting the environment and human health. This study aimed to investigate the impact of aqueous (3.5 mg/L for 15 and 30 min of contact time) and gaseous ozone (30 μL/L for 30 and 60 min of contact time) treatments in comparison with usual sanitizing treatment with peracetic acid (1% for 15 min of contact time) on six wine related microorganisms of oenological significance for their potential proliferation in the bottled wine. To this end, an artificially contaminated wine was used to fill rigid and flexible stainless-steel pipes and a bottling machine. The effectiveness of each treatment was evaluated using culture-dependent approach. The microorganisms showed different sensibilities to the treatments, dependent on the sanitization method used. The exposure to aqueous ozone for 30 min was the most effective treatment for pipes cleaning, followed by peracetic acid. On the other hand, when considering the bottling machine, the use of peracetic acid as sanitizing agent led to a complete removal of the cells, while aqueous ozone for a contact of 30 min was able to eliminate all microorganisms except S. cerevisiae.