{"id":18682,"date":"2026-08-26T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ocrim.com\/?post_type=ailati&p=18682"},"modified":"2026-08-19T11:50:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T09:50:14","slug":"food-safety-in-the-flour-mill-ocrims-vision-through-sanitation-research-and-sustainable-innovation","status":"publish","type":"ailati","link":"https:\/\/www.ocrim.com\/en\/ailati\/food-safety-in-the-flour-mill-ocrims-vision-through-sanitation-research-and-sustainable-innovation\/","title":{"rendered":"FOOD SAFETY IN THE FLOUR MILL: OCRIM’S VISION THROUGH SANITATION, RESEARCH, AND SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Food safety has long become a fundamental and indispensable requirement for flour milling plants, as it must be ensured throughout every stage of the production process and not merely in downstream operations. This vision has shaped Ocrim’s design philosophy for many years: preventing risks, controlling processes, eliminating conditions that favour contamination, and making sanitation an integral and structural component of the flour mill.Cereals entering a milling plant inevitably carry various types of contaminants\u2014physical, chemical, and biological. Among the latter are pathogenic microorganisms such as Escherichia coli<\/em> and Salmonella<\/em>, as well as moulds capable of producing mycotoxins. These organisms naturally occur in agricultural environments, and their concentration may vary significantly depending on environmental and agronomic conditions, potentially posing a threat to human health.Grain cleaning prior to milling is therefore an essential step in the production of safe flour. Technological and engineering advancements have led to increasingly efficient machines capable of removing larger contaminants such as stones, straw, insects, and foreign seeds. However, when microorganisms are involved, their microscopic size makes detection and removal considerably more complex and, in some cases, insufficient.The challenge is further compounded by the microbiological variability of incoming grain lots. Without proper control measures, cross-contamination may occur: residues left by previous batches can become new sources of contamination, affecting grain lots that were initially pathogen-free. These microenvironments provide ideal conditions for bacteria and moulds to proliferate, ultimately compromising the safety of the entire production process. <\/p>\n\n

Preventing Rather Than Correcting: The Key to the Ocrim Approach<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

Microbial load reduction within a flour mill can be addressed through several strategies, including intensive mechanical removal, the use of high temperatures, chemical treatments, or radiation applied at specific stages of the process. Ocrim has long chosen a more advanced approach, focusing its Research & Development activities on the structural prevention of microbial proliferation. Drawing on more than 80 years of experience in the design and maintenance of flour milling plants worldwide, and supported by constructive collaborations with leading Italian universities, Ocrim embarked on an extensive research programme aimed at identifying the areas within a flour mill most exposed to cross-contamination phenomena.Although, under theoretical conditions, water activity within a flour mill is generally not conducive to microbial growth, practical experience has shown that localized situations\u2014such as product accumulation, micro-condensation, and poorly ventilated zones\u2014can create environments suitable for the development of bacteria and moulds. Ocrim’s strategy has therefore focused on eliminating these conditions by intervening directly on selected components and on the most critical stages of the milling process. <\/p>\n\n

Innovation Applied to Plansifters: A Pioneering Technology, Now Well Established<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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The use of antimicrobial materials to limit the spread of microorganisms in critical areas of food-processing facilities is now widely adopted throughout the food industry. As early as 2017, Ocrim recognized the potential of transferring this technology to the milling process and identified flour sifting as one of the most strategic areas for intervention.This led to the development of Ocrim’s antimicrobial plansifter sieves, an innovative solution that moved immediately beyond the experimental stage and into practical application in flour mills. Today, nearly ten years after their market introduction, these sieves represent a mature, validated, and extensively proven technology capable of delivering concrete and measurable benefits over time.Research activities resulted in the development of an antimicrobial composite material specifically engineered to inhibit the growth of bacteria and moulds directly within the process area. Material selection was a crucial step: the objective was to combine antimicrobial effectiveness, food-contact compliance, mechanical reliability, and long-term durability without compromising the performance of the plansifter.The result is a material in which the antimicrobial agent is permanently embedded within the matrix itself. The antimicrobial component is not released into the flour during sifting and does not affect the rheological or functional characteristics of the finished product. Instead, its action remains continuous and stable on the surface of the sieves, maintaining effectiveness throughout the entire service life of the component. It is important to emphasize that antimicrobial plansifter sieves represent a truly unique solution within the milling industry. Today, Ocrim is the only company in the global flour milling sector to design, manufacture, and supply this innovative technology. This achievement further confirms the company’s pioneering role and its ability to anticipate market needs. <\/p>\n\n

Proven Effectiveness and Superior Performance Compared with Conventional Materials<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

The performance of the antimicrobial material has been validated through microbiological testing conducted according to internationally recognized standards. Results confirmed antibacterial activity against pathogenic microorganisms including Escherichia coli<\/em>, Salmonella enteritidis<\/em>, and Staphylococcus aureus<\/em>, while also demonstrating a significant fungistatic effect. Additional testing was carried out on mycotoxin-producing fungi such as Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium graminearum, and Penicillium verrucosum, demonstrating that the material’s antimicrobial activity is also effective against these strains, thereby reducing the risk of fungal growth and potential mycotoxin contamination in flour.Comparative studies involving conventional materials commonly used in sieve construction, including plywood and other standard plastics, clearly demonstrated the superiority of the Ocrim solution. While widespread microbial growth was observed on conventional materials, the antimicrobial composite remained resistant to microbial colonization.<\/p>\n\n

Food-Contact Compliance<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Today more than ever, ensuring high food safety standards is an essential priority for the flour milling industry. In this context, the food-contact compliance of materials plays a crucial role in safeguarding product quality and safety throughout the entire production process.In addition to inhibiting the proliferation of bacteria and molds, the new antimicrobial material developed for the sieves is suitable for food contact and complies with the main international regulatory requirements governing food-contact materials, including Regulation (EC) No. 1935\/2004 for the European market and applicable FDA regulations for the United States market.The same attention has also been dedicated to the second generation of plastic sieves which, although not featuring antimicrobial properties, have been designed in full compliance with the requirements governing direct food contact. <\/p>\n\n

Ten Years of Results for Millers and Consumers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

Beyond their microbiological performance, Ocrim antimicrobial sieves have demonstrated outstanding mechanical reliability and operational stability over time, as confirmed by laboratory testing and field applications in numerous flour mills. Thanks to advanced manufacturing technologies, they can be installed on virtually any plansifter model \u2014 whether manufactured by Ocrim or by other suppliers \u2014 allowing existing milling plants to further enhance their food safety standards.Nearly ten years after their introduction, these sieves represent far more than a technological innovation: they constitute a concrete and long-lasting contribution to food safety. For mill owners, they provide improved risk control, greater process stability, and higher sanitary standards; for Ocrim, they validate a vision based on responsible innovation; and for end consumers, they translate into safer, higher-quality flour products. Today, Ocrim routinely employs this technology in the manufacture of its sieves and continues to invest in Research & Development to extend its application to other strategic areas of the flour mill, with the objective of further strengthening sanitation practices and microbiological control in both present and future milling facilities.Food safety cannot and should not be reduced to a marketing slogan. It must instead represent a tangible and measurable responsibility for every company operating within the sector. Ocrim demonstrates this commitment every day by going beyond simple declarations and transforming health protection into verifiable, innovative solutions founded on rigorous research and process control, for the benefit of the entire supply chain and the final consumer. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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