Food News

Some of you may still remember the well-known hit song (“Aber bitte mit Sahne”) by the Austrian-German singer Udo Jürgens. The continuation of the song line, on the other hand, does not originate from him, but is highly relevant.            

They are in constant use in cafés and ice cream bars, conjuring up mountains of whipped cream on cakes, ice cream sundaes and coffee specialities. We are talking about the whipped cream machines.

However, a food hygiene specialist would find these machines highly suspect, as they represent an almost ideal breeding ground for microbes, including those that a sweet tooth might quickly regret after enjoying the extra portion of whipped cream. If the machines are not meticulously cleaned and disinfected daily, they become a health risk for guests.

Manufacturers not only provide users with the appropriate cleaning and disinfection instructions, but usually also offer special agents to keep the machines clean and germ-free. These agents often contain surface-active substances such as benzalkonium chloride (BAC) and Didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC).

Finally closing time

At the ending of the workday staff run the cleaning programme and, in their haste, tend to forget to rinse thoroughly with hot water. Disinfectant residues remain in the storage containers, hoses and nozzles and then contaminate the fresh whipped cream the next day.

That this is not an invented scenario is proven by a study in which approx. 300 samples were taken by official monitoring from various cream vending machines nationwide. In almost 15% of the samples, the BAC residues were above the permissible maximum amount and in 3.7% of the samples the DDAC content exceeded the permissible limit - in some cases by up to 10 times.

We want whipped cream without germs but also without detergent and disinfectant residues.
That's just our tip: Just have it tested once in a while before the official food inspectors come through the door. 

YOUR PLUS: AGROLAB laboratories know the neuralgic points and support your own inspections with independent and professional sampling on site. Accredited laboratory tests confirm the microbial and chemical safety of your products so that you can fulfil the wish "But please with whipped cream" at any time with a clear conscience.

Author: Dr. Frank Mörsberger