Assessing the environmental quality of food processing plants

Over 1000 samples were collected after pre-operational cleaning and/or sanitizing of equipment and facilities of three types of food processing plants, (catfish, dairy, and poultry), to determine the relationship between air sampling and the environmental quality of the facility. The environmental surfaces sampled were evaluated by microbiological analysis for the following counts: standard plate counts, Staphylococcus, coliform, and yeast and mold counts. Food-contact surfaces were evaluated using the protein assay methods of Charm (Charm Sciences, Inc., Malden, NJ) based on ATP bioluminescence for bacterial count, and Modified Lowry (Sigma Diagnostics, St. Louis, MO) for protein estimation. Correlation coefficients for the four methods used for microbial analysis were obtained, and the results of air sampling and protein assay data discussed. Further study is needed to determine the efficacy of air sampling and ATP bioluminescence as mechanisms of bacterial measurement in total quality assurance programs for the food processing environment.