Sanitation

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Researchers from Kao Corporation have developed a long-lasting skin coating agent that kills pathogens on the hands, paving the way for new hand hygiene solutions that could potentially help food handlers prevent cross-contamination. 

A recent study of the microbiological profiles of disposable gloves intended for ready-to-eat (RTE) food handling found the presence of bacteria to be much higher on gloves with visible damage than intact gloves, underlining the importance of regular glove changes, especially when damaged.

On October 10–12, 2023, Penn State University will offer a course, titled, “Food Safety and Sanitation for Food Manufacturers” designed for those who are developing in-house food safety programs.

A project funded by the Center for Produce Safety has collected information about, validated, and evaluated the efficacy of the cleaning and sanitation practices for harvest equipment among blueberry harvesters and packers.

Pseudomonas biofilms can aid the survival of Listeria monocytogenes cells even after disinfection, according to a recent study.

Pyure’s air purification solution has demonstrated over 90 percent reductions in microbial loads for food processing. 

PurOne Cleaner and Disinfectant from EvaClean Infection Prevention Solutions has received EPA approval of its updated master label, adding Candida auris to its existing biofilm claim, and making the product one of the few to be registered as effective against both hazards.

New uses for existing technologies are being deployed in foodservice establishments to prevent persistent pathogens like Salmonella, and viral pathogens like norovirus and Hepatitis A, on surfaces where continuous sanitation and disinfection is needed. 

Cleaning program validation that primarily relies on adenosine triphosphate (ATP) monitoring can yield poor results if a few basic strategies are not incorporated into the sampling program to eliminate bias. These include probability sampling, uniformity of the sample, as well as understanding the limitation of the test instrument and the interpretation of results.

A variety of actions, spanning from simply changing a nozzle to implementing AI technology, can contribute to making sanitizing procedures more sustainable. The authors dive into some of these actions and look at the effectiveness, implementation challenges, and consequences for the end products.