Bioluminescence ATP Monitoring for the Routine Assessment of Food Contact Surface Cleanliness in a University Canteen

Abstract

ATP bioluminescence monitoring and traditional microbiological analyses (viable counting of total mesophilic aerobes, coliforms and Escherichia coli) were used to evaluate the effectiveness of Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP) at a university canteen which uses a HACCP-based approach. To that end, 10 cleaning control points (CPs), including food contact surfaces at risk of contamination from product residues or microbial growth, were analysed during an 8-month monitoring period. Arbitrary acceptability limits were set for both microbial loads and ATP bioluminescence readings. A highly significant correlation (r = 0.99) between the means of ATP bioluminescence readings and the viable counts of total mesophilic aerobes was seen, thus revealing a strong association of these parameters with the level of surface contamination. Among CPs, the raw meat and multi-purpose chopping boards showed the highest criticalities. Although ATP bioluminescence technology cannot substitute traditional microbiological analyses for the determination of microbial load on food contact surfaces, it has proved to be a powerful tool for the real time monitoring of surface cleanliness at mass catering plants, for verify the correct application of SSOP, and hence for their implementation/revision in the case of poor hygiene.

Self-disinfecting surfaces and infection control

“…Due to adhesion mechanisms bacteria can remain on the surfaces and contaminate other foods [9]. Chopping boards, knifes and preparation tables are just some of the food preparation instruments found contaminated with bacteria [10].…”

Evaluation of ATP bioluminescence‐based methods for hygienic assessment in fish industry

“…The suggested minor role of bacteria as the source of ATP in hygiene monitoring as can be deduced from the present study is to some extent supported by investigations from food processing surfaces. Some studies from the food production show a correlation between ATP bioluminescence and bacterial counts on surfaces (Osimani et al ; Hammons et al ), while a poor correlation is observed in other studies (Poulis et al ; Moore and Griffith ). It was observed that the bacteria usually dominating in fish processing plants had higher ATP values than the pathogenic bacterium L. monocytogenes .…”

The occurrence of spoilage yeasts in cream-filled bakery products

“…Baker's yeast (10 g) was diluted in sterile peptone‐saline solution and then ten‐fold diluted in the same solution; aliquots (0.1 mL) of each dilution were used for counting yeasts on modified YEPD agar (as described above). Moreover, 10 g of the same sample underwent enrichment in 90 mL of YEPD broth (yeast extract 10 g L −1 ; peptone 10 g L −1 ; d ‐glucose 20 g L −1 ) with 100 mg L −1 of chloramphenicol, incubated for 5 days at 25 °C and then streaked on modified YEPD agar and incubated again for 5 days at 25 °C.…”