In this study, we utilized a simple-to-handle food-allergen detection kit to confirm the successful completion of cleaning of large-scale heat cooking equipment. Immunochromatographic test kits for food allergens for “milk (casein)” and “wheat” were used. For the large-scale heat cooking equipment, braising pans were used with the food removed after cooking under certain conditions. Two types of cleaning were performed, specifically, with and without detergent, after which the amount of cleaning water required to remove food allergens was compared. There was no difference in the amount of water required to remove either food allergen when comparing the two types of food allergens. On the other hand, in the comparison between cleaning with the detergent and without it, the amount of washing water was significantly lower when detergent was used, which indicates the effectiveness of detergent in removing food allergens. Even if there was no visible contamination in the braising pan, immunochromatographic test kits for food allergens sometimes showed “positive” results. Therefore, it was confirmed that determining the end of cleaning by visual inspection alone was insuffi­cient from the perspective of food allergens’ removal. The use of immunochromatographic test kits for food allergens during the cleaning of large-scale heat cooking equipment was effective in confirming the residual amount of food allergens, and was also thought to be useful in calculating the amount of washing water required for food allergens’ removal and standardizing the cleaning method. In summary, this study demonstrates the effectiveness of using immunochromatographic test kits for food allergens in confirming the completion of cleaning of large-scale heat cooking equipment.

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