Effect of surface properties of different food contact materials on the efficiency of quaternary ammonium compounds residue recovery and persistence |
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Authors: | Zeinab E Mousavi Seamus Fanning Francis Butler |
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Affiliation: | 1. School of Biosystems Engineering, Agriculture and Food Science Centre, University College Dublin, , Belfield Dublin 4, Ireland;2. School of Public Health, Physiotherapy & Population Science, University College Dublin, , Belfield Dublin 4, Ireland |
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Abstract: | Residues of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) remaining after sanitising were evaluated for a number of materials used in food plants. The residues were collected by swabs and measured using a spectrophotometric method. Surface topography and energy affected the QACs recovery. Highest percentage of QACs recovery was achieved for the tile material (102.2%) which had the most hydrophilic properties and least irregularities in surface topology, followed by stainless steel (82.1%). Meanwhile, the lowest recovery occurred in PVC (42.1%) and resin (44.3%) that exhibited hydrophobic characteristics and abrupt changes in height profile in a given surface area. Monitoring of QACs residues deposited on the surfaces after 7 days showed that the recovery of QACs in PVC and resin reduced significantly (P < 0.05), supposing that QACs might be degraded or interacted with the materials. However, no significant changes in residue recovery were observed for tiles and stainless steel surfaces after 7 days. |
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Keywords: | Quaternary ammonium compounds roughness residue surface energy |
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