Cleaning-in-place,
simply explained.

CIP stands for Cleaning In Place; NEP is the French abbreviation. Cleaning solutions circulate through the relevant equipment circuits without routine dismantling.

Time, temperature, cleaning agents and their concentration, as well as circulation conditions, are assessed according to the circuit and the residues to be removed.

No. The protocol must take the equipment, manufactured products and process requirements into account. It must be defined and validated under actual operating conditions.

Cleaning removes soil from surfaces and circuits: organic residues (sugars, fats, proteins…) and mineral deposits (scale, salts…). Suitable chemicals loosen, dissolve or disperse these residues so they can be rinsed away. Alkaline detergents are generally used for organic matter and acidic detergents for mineral deposits. Selection depends on the residues and equipment materials.

Disinfection then acts on microorganisms remaining on clean surfaces, reducing them to a level compatible with process requirements. It may use an oxidising product, such as a peracetic-acid-based formulation, or a suitable heat treatment. It does not, by itself, guarantee sterility.

Sterilisation means eliminating or inactivating all viable microorganisms, including bacterial spores. It requires a validated thermal or chemical process compatible with the equipment. An oxidising acid or heat therefore constitutes sterilisation only when the treatment conditions actually achieve and demonstrate this objective.

Why clean before disinfecting or sterilising? Residues can shelter microorganisms and reduce treatment effectiveness. Cleaning prepares the surfaces; after an appropriate intermediate rinse, disinfection or, where required by the process, sterilisation controls microbial contamination before the next production run. Time, temperature, concentration, circulation and any final rinses are defined and validated for the installation and products used.