J Food Prot. 2023 Jul 4:100126. doi: 10.1016/j.jfp.2023.100126. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Previous environmental monitoring projects in food production facilities have revealed inconsistencies in how produce brush washer machines are cleaned after use; thus, study of effective sanitation procedures for these machines is needed. Four chlorine solution treatments (ranging from 25-200ppm), as well as a water-only treatment, were tested for efficacy in reducing bacterial loads for a selected small brush washer machine. Results indicate that rinsing with the machine’s power and water alone, a frequent practice among some produce processors, yielded a reduction of 0.91-1.96 log CFU per brush roller in bacterial counts, which was not statistically significant (p>0.05). However, the chlorine treatments were found to be effective in reducing bacterial loads significantly, with higher concentrations being the most effective. The 200ppm and 100ppm chlorine treatments yielded bacterial reductions of 4.08 and 3.95 log CFU per brush roller respectively, leaving bacterial levels statistically similar to the levels at post-process decontamination, meaning these are the most effective at killing bacteria of all the chlorine concentrations tested. These data suggest the use of at least 100ppm chlorine sanitizer solution is a good method to sanitize hard-to-clean produce washing machines, yielding an approximate 4 log CFU reduction of the inoculated bacteria.
PMID:37414285 | DOI:10.1016/j.jfp.2023.100126
