The detection of food soils on stainless steel using energy dispersive X-ray and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Abstract

Organic soiling is a major issue in the food processing industries, causing a range of biofouling and microbiological problems. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and Fourier transform infra red spectroscopy (FT-IR) were used to quantify and determine the biochemical groups of food soils on stainless steel surfaces. EDX quantified organic material on surfaces where oily based residues predominated, but was limited in its usefulness since other food soils were difficult to detect. FT-IR provided spectral 'fingerprints' for each of the soils tested. Key soiling components were associated with specific peaks, viz. oils at 3025 cm(-1)-3011 cm(-1), proteins at 1698 cm(-1)-1636 cm(-1) and carbohydrates at 1658 cm(-1)-1596 cm(-1), 783 cm(-1)-742 cm(-1). High concentrations of some soils (10%) were needed for detection by both EDX and FT-IR. The two techniques may be of use for quantifying and identifying specific recalcitrant soils on surfaces to improve cleaning and hygiene regimes.

Review – Interactions between diatoms and stainless steel: focus on biofouling and biocorrosion

“…Owing to their outstanding resistance to corrosion, stainless steels (SS) are extensively used in many applications involving contact with biological compounds/solutions. They are used in the food industry (Jullien et al 2003;Whitehead et al 2011) and in the manufacture of vascular stents, guide wires, or other orthopedic implants (Hanawa 2002;Ratner et al 2004). In addition, SS are frequently utilized in many structures located in marine and freshwater environments, including port installations, cooling water circuits, and ships and related equipment.…”

The detection and quantification of food components on stainless steel surfaces following use in an operational bakery

“…Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence and Ultra Violet (UV)) for use in industry that allow rapid identification of surface fouling. However, previous works have demonstrated that different methods have varying range in the limit of detection for different types of organic fouling (Whitehead et al 2008;2009a;2010;2011). Some of these methods might be optimized, for example, using UV detection the wavelength can be optimised to detect residual organic material present on the surface (Adhikari and Tappel, 1975;Whitehead et al, 2010).…”

“…Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has been utilized for a number of years to visualize both organic material and cells retained on surfaces (Rajab et al 2018;Whitehead et al 2005;Zouaghi et al 2018) as has differential staining methods (Whitehead et al 2009b). Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FTIR) has been used to detect the fouling retained on surfaces (Whitehead et al 2011), however it can also be used to detect bacteria retained on surfaces (Schmitt and Flemming, 1998). Although these and other methods have been carried out to detect organic fouling and microbial contamination in vitro, to the authors knowledge, a comparison of such detection methods have not been used to determine the amount of residual biofouling on surfaces from a working bakery.…”

The effect of surface properties on bacterial retention: A study utilising stainless steel and TiN/25.65at.%Ag substrata

“…Surface topography and roughness is an important parameter to consider when investigating microbial retention and the hygienic status of surfaces. Previous investigations into the correlation between surface roughness and bacterial retention have proposed that there is a relationship between greater surface roughness and increases in the numbers of retained bacteria (Jullien et al, 2003;Whitehead et al, 2011). However, other works have found no relationship (Hilbert et al, 2003;Whitehead et al, 2005;Milledge, 2010) and suggestions have been offered that the current descriptive factors for roughness parameters are lacking or inappropriate (Zhao et al, 2008;Wickens et al, 2014).…”