Scratched Surfaces May Trap Bacteria During Food Processing

Wednesday, September 10, 2008; 10:00 AM

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WEDNESDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Minute particles of food soil on surfaces can help bacteria survive industrial cleaning procedures in food processing factories, which may lead to possible contamination of food with pathogenic bacteria, say researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom.

"Tiny amounts of soil are enough to provide nutrients and a reservoir for contaminating bacteria to survive the cleaning process, leading to food spoilage later. The soil should be identified to make sure effective cleaning regimes are used on food preparation surfaces," researcher Dr. Kathryn Whitehead said in a Society for General Microbiology news release.

She and her colleagues compared different methods for detection of food residues, including chemical and physiochemical techniques, microscopy and rapid industrial methods such as ultraviolet (UV) light. They found that standard ultraviolet (UV) light and detection techniques may not detect the tiny quantities of food soil, which can even adhere to stainless steel surfaces.

The researchers concluded that more complex analytical methods are the most effective in identifying food soil and developing appropriate cleaning procedures.

"Some methods are not as sensitive as others at detecting food residue and microorganisms in the food industries. A rapid industrial technique using UV light may be optimized to detect soil. Our results also showed that different techniques may be better suited to different disciplines," Whitehead said.

Knowing the type of food soil build-up on food surfaces can help in determining the best approach to removing the soil.

"By using more precise methods to detect food residue and microorganisms on surfaces, it may be possible that different cleaners could be used to target key fouling components," Whitehead said. "We hope our work will lead to a greater level of hygiene in the food industry."

The research was expected to be presented Wednesday at the Society for General Microbiology Autumn meeting, in Dublin.