The microbiological quality of washing-up water and the environment in domestic and commercial kitchens

Abstract

Aims: To determine the microbiological quality of washing-up water and the environment in domestic and commercial kitchens. Methods and Results: Chicken meals were prepared by people without food safety training in their own kitchen (n ¼ 52) or by trained staff in a commercial kitchen (n ¼ 10). Study participants then washed-up, cleaned the kitchen and completed a food hygiene questionnaire. The temperature and microbiological quality of the washingup water, and the presence of pathogens in dishcloths, tea towels and other kitchen samples was determined. Of the raw chickens used in meal preparation, 96 and 13% were naturally contaminated with Campylobacter or Salmonella spp., respectively. In domestic kitchens, two of 45 sponges, dishcloths or scourers and one of 32 hand-or tea towels were contaminated with Campylobacter after washing-up and cleaning but none of the tap or sink swabs yielded pathogens. The mean washing-up water temperature in the domestic kitchens was 40AE7°C, whereas in the commercial kitchen it was 44AE7°C (P ¼ 0AE04). Study participants who used hotter water ( ‡40°C) had lower levels of bacteria in their washing-up water. The aerobic plate counts of the washing-up water samples in domestic homes were usually between 10 5 and 10 6 CFU ml )1 but those associated with the commercial kitchen were consistently lower (P ¼ 0AE01). Despite this, Campylobacter was detected in one of 10 washing-up water samples from the commercial kitchen but in none of the samples from domestic kitchens. Conclusions: Pathogenic microorganisms can be recovered relatively frequently from the kitchen environment. Significance and Impact of Study: By identifying factors that affect the number of microorganisms in washing-up water and the kitchen environment, evidence-based recommendations on implementing domestic food hygiene can be made.

Current and Potential Use of Citrus Essential Oils

“…Washing with detergent at elevated temperatures is usually the most common practice to eliminate bacteria on the food contact surfaces. Unfortunately, it was reported that S. typhimurium, S. enteritidis, C. jejuni and E. coli can survive after regular washing processes [50]. Moreover, bacteria can survive on the surfaces of cutting boards and stainless steel after washing with detergent.…”

Comparative efficacies of various chemical sanitizers for warewashing operations in restaurants

“…But in real-life situations, tableware cleaning at the minimum required temperature may not always occur. Mattick et al (2003) confirmed this when they focused on the microbiological quality of cleaning water used by volunteers during a tableware washing exercise. They found cleaning water >40 C had significantly lower aerobic plate counts than cleaning water <40 C. According to Pfund (2004), temperatures !40 C may be uncomfortable for dishwashing employees and thus this minimum temperature is not consistently achieved.…”

“…Mechanical washing, conversely, usually uses higher washing temperature (55e65 C) and is not subject to the discomfort experienced by human workers (Wernersson, Jeppsson, & Hakanson, 2006). Other factors that vary the efficacy of manual washing are the number and sizes of the tableware items to be washed, the initial microbial load, the type of food soil contaminating the tableware items and the time designated to clean them (Lee et al, 2007;Mattick et al, 2003;Montville, Chen, & Schaffner, 2002).…”

Pesquisa de Aeromonas spp., Vibrio spp. e da qualidade sanitária de peixes comercializados na cidade de São Paulo

“…Ingredientes usados crus, que podem abrigar microrganismos potencialmente patogênicos, são freqüentemente manipulados em cozinhas domésticas, tornando as superfícies de contato uma importante fonte de infecção (MATTICK et al, 2003). Manipulação e preparação inadequadas, tempo de armazenamento e cozimento impróprios, assim como capacidade de refrigeração das geladeiras domésticas, podem atuar como fatores de proliferação desses microrganismos.…”

“…sobrevivem nas mãos, esponjas e panos de prato. Panos de prato podem se tornar altamente contaminados com diversas populações microbianas em um curto período de uso (MATTICK et al, 2003). S. aureus, por exemplo, continua viável em superfícies secas, como aço inox, por horas e até dias (KUSUMANINGRUM et al, 2003).…”