Identification of fungal proteases potentially suitable for environmentally friendly cleaning-in-place in the dairy industry

► Environmentally friendly cleaning-in-place procedure developed for dairy processing. ► Procedure uses fungal (Schizophyllum commune) protease activity at 40 °C. ► Satisfactory cleaning performance of procedure demonstrated on a lab-scale. ► Potential benefits include reduced energy consumption and decreased chemical usage. ► Also, reduced requirement for pH neutralisation of resultant wastewater.