Conveyor belt hygiene

Use case & economics

Use case

What it does

Prevents cross-contamination: with every piece of meat / RTE on the belt, a germ trail builds up. UV-C in the return run continuously reduces it — the product is NOT irradiated.

How it works

Lamps sit UNDER the empty return run. A PTFE diffuse reflector (95 % diffuse) belt-width-conforming closes the optical path — no stray radiation outside, no personnel-protection curtain needed. Lamps with FEP / Teflon shatter protection for HACCP.

Economic value

CIP cleaning interval typically extended by factor 1.5–2×. EU-legally uncritical (not LMBG §13 / EU 1999/2/EG) — usually accepted as a pilot system without application.

Regulation & design tips DE

This is belt-surface hygiene — not food irradiation. UV-C reaches only the belt underside in the return run, never the product — that's exactly why the lamp sits below the belt. The food-irradiation positive-list below therefore does not apply to this application (it governs direct irradiation of the edible product). Read it as context: it's what would restrict you if you irradiated the food itself.

Region

International

Other

Directly permitted

Dried herbs + spices · egg-shell surface decontamination (non-edible surface)

Directly prohibited

Meat, fresh fish, vegetables, fruit, baked goods — direct irradiation of edible surface

Legal basis

§13 LMBG / LMBestrV (UV explicit) · disclosure + label „treated with ultraviolet radiation" for edible-surface treatment

Design tip — personnel protection (ICNIRP): stainless side-shields at the belt edges (extending the full lamp + reflector depth) + an interlock. Even an optimal belt-width reflector lets ~5 % radiation escape laterally — service staff reaching under the belt must be shielded.

Full EU country table + concept comparison on luvex.tech/knowledge

Side view · Belt loop

UV-C irradiation (lamp)Contamination on belt (upper run)Belt cleaned in return runRollers / belt frame

Front view · Lamp under belt —× LP tube · PTFE diffuse ×2.20

UV-C beamBelt + reflector

Building a conveyor / tunnel line? Coming soon The tunnel configurator — spec the physical system (belt geometry, UV architecture, lamp layout and cooling) and request a quote — is on the way. This dose target will carry over as the planning reference.

See the roadmap →