Effective cleaning and sanitisation (C&S) of food contact surfaces is essential to minimise the risk of microbial contamination in production lines.
In this context, the aim of a recent study carried out by a group of international researchers (Muñiz-Flores et al., 2025) was to evaluate the performance of visual inspection, ATP (adenosine triphosphate) measurement and microbial analysis as tools for verifying C&S procedures in food packaging plants.
Cleanliness was classified using a four-level visual scale, from 1 (cleanest) to 4 (dirtiest). ATP levels were measured using bioluminescence. Microbial analysis included the qualitative detection of Listeria spp. and the quantification of mesophilic aerobic bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, yeasts and moulds.
The results show that, in many cases, the different methods tested provide contradictory results. On some surfaces, for example, visual inspection and microbial indicators suggested effective C&S, contrar y to what was detected by ATP measurements. In other cases, only visual improvements were detected, with no significant reduction in ATP or microbial levels.
These inconsistencies highlight the limitations of using a single inspection method and underscore the importance of employing complementary tools in a sequential verification approach. Finally, the study proposes a decision tree to guide the integration of these tools and improve hygiene monitoring strategies in food packaging facilities.
Bibliographic references: J.A. Muñiz-Flores et al., Journal of Food Protection, 88, 2025, 100593
