Strict rules governing hygiene apply in the food and beverage industry. All surfaces of materials that come into contact with foods or beverages must be disinfected in order to ensure their bacteriological purity. Peracetic acid (PES) is often used for rapid disinfection of PET bottles. Correct dosing of the acid must be observed while doing so: Too much PES impairs taste and causes unnecessary costs through increased consumption. Insufficient concentrations on the other hand are unable to guarantee satisfactory cleaning.
The PES concentration can be determined exactly using a process analyzer specially configured for photometric analyses. The analyzer sends an alarm signal to the control system if the concentration should deviate from the specifications.