Abstract
Pathogens contaminated on the surface of utensils could contribute to the occurrence of outbreaks due to cross-contamination to foods during the food preparation process. Therefore, the efficacy of chemical sanitizers (chlorine-based and alcohol-based commercial sanitizers) and dry-heat (71℃) on inhibiting biofilms of five foodborne pathogens (Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus) on the surface of stainless steel and polypropylene were investigated in this study. Initial populations of pathogens were 8.8~9.3 and 9.4~10.3 log CFU/coupon on the surface of stainless steel and polypropylene coupon, respectively, and these populations were not significantly reduced when they were treated with water for 5 min at room temperature. Treatments with chlorine sanitizer and dry-heat were not effective on inactivating pathogens on the surfaces of stainless steel and polypropylene. In contrast, treatments with alcohol sanitizer were very effective on inactivating pathogens on the surfaced of stainless steel and polypropylene. Reduction levels ranged from 3.4 to 6.4 log and from 5.5 to 7.4 log CFU/coupon in stainless steel and plastic coupons, respectively. From these results, alcohol-based sanitizer could be used as a potential way for controlling microbial contamination on the surface of utensils, cooking equipment, and other related environments.
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