The 'M' in ICM: Us ng ATP to Evaluate Sanitation

摘要

In my last column, I introduced the con-cept of integrated cleaning and measurement (ICM) as a way of objectively evaluating and improving cleaning activities and methods. ICM is an open-ended model that relies on a series of "experiments" in which wecan compare different sanitation strategies to find those that are the most cost-effective and cost-efficient for the specific food operation. ICM makes the Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs) a living document. The concept of integrated cleaning, or the "IC" part, is fairly well understood. It is the 'M," or measurement, that poses some difficulty in application and interpretation. While economic measurements are relatively straightforward, this is not so when it comes to measuring cleanliness. Here is the problem: while there are many tools available to us in establishing quasi-objective and even objective measurements for chemical and physical cleanliness, we rely largely on adenosine triphos-phate (ATP) monitoring as a rapid, inexpensive way to determine relative levels of biocontamination.