Abstract Heat-induced fouling is a financial and environmental burden for food and dairy industries and its control is therefore desperately needed. A better understanding of the fouling mechanisms and their relation to stainless steel surface properties is thus of considerable interest. This work aims at studying the impact of stainless steel's surface morphology and surface free energy on fouling by a model dairy solution by a close examination of the deposit's growth and adhesion at the substrate-fluid interface. Pristine model surfaces of controlled roughness and surface energy, i.e. native, mirror polished and biomimetic femtosecond laser textured stainless steel surfaces, fluorosilanized or not, were tested under isothermal conditions in a pilot pasteurization facility fed with a model dairy fluid (whey protein and calcium solution). Multi-scale characterizations of those surfaces before and after fouling, using a wide range of analytical tools (goniometry, SEM, ToF-SIMS, EPMA X-Ray mappings) allowed for a better comprehension of the impact of surface energy and morphology modifications on the fouling behavior while highlighting their complex interactions in fouling governance. Lower surface energy was shown to be an asset against deposit growth, as fluorosilanization of native stainless steel allowed to reduce fouling by 72% (wt.%). The relative sizes of surface relief versus fouling agents has been found crucial, as it impacts interlocking phenomena. Textured surfaces have shown a tremendous increase in fouling (+391% for textured, +86% for fluorosilanized textured). However, interesting fouling performances were obtained on smooth, hydrophobic surfaces, as a reduction by 83% of fouling weight was achieved with fluorosilanized polished samples.

中文翻译：

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工业加工条件下不锈钢表面特性对乳清蛋白污染的影响

摘要 热致污垢是食品和乳制品行业的经济和环境负担，因此迫切需要对其进行控制。因此，更好地了解结垢机制及其与不锈钢表面特性的关系具有相当大的意义。这项工作旨在通过仔细检查沉积物的生长和基材 - 流体界面处的附着力，研究不锈钢的表面形态和表面自由能对模型乳制品溶液结垢的影响。控制粗糙度和表面能的原始模型表面，即天然、镜面抛光和仿生飞秒激光纹理不锈钢表面，氟硅烷化与否，在等温条件下在试验巴氏杀菌设施中进行测试，该设施以模型乳制品流体（乳清蛋白和钙溶液）为原料）。使用各种分析工具（测角仪、SEM、ToF-SIMS、EPMA X 射线映射）对污垢前后这些表面进行多尺度表征，可以更好地理解表面能和形态修改对表面的影响污染行为，同时强调他们在污染治理中的复杂相互作用。较低的表面能被证明是防止沉积物增长的资产，因为天然不锈钢的氟硅烷化可以减少 72% (wt.%) 的污垢。已发现表面浮雕与污垢剂的相对尺寸至关重要，因为它会影响互锁现象。纹理表面的污垢显着增加（纹理为 +391%，氟硅烷化纹理为 +86%）。然而，在光滑、疏水的表面上获得了有趣的污垢性能，