Survival and growth of foodborne pathogens on commercial dishsponges/cloths and inhibitory effects of sanitizers

Abstract

This study was investigated the survival and growth of pathogens on commercial dish sponges and cloths when contaminated with organic materials and the effects of chemical sanitizers and organic acids on inhibiting pathogens contaminating the dish sponges and cloths. When pathogens were inoculated with TSB, none of the four pathogens grew in the cellulose sponge until 12 h of storage; however levels of pathogens on the other samples were significantly increased after 24 h of storage. When chemical sanitizers and organic acids were added to the dish sponges and cloths, treatments with hydrogen peroxidebased sanitizer, lactic and propionic acids were the most effective at reducing levels of E. coli O157:H7 and S. aureus, whereas treatment with a chlorine sanitizer did not significantly reduce pathogen levels.