AVALIAÇÃO DAS TÉCNICAS DE NEBULIZAÇÃO E IMERSÃO COM SANITIZANTES QUÍMICOS NA INATIVAÇÃO DE PATOGÊNICOS EM SUPERFÍCIE DE AÇO INOX

Abstract

Nebulization technology presents itself as a useful technique for avoid the appearance of environmental contaminations that must be quickly combated in a complex manner. It can be used with a wide range of disinfectant solutions for surface decontamination, consisting of the sanitizing agent diffusion in a liquid state in the form of a mist, enabling a 3D decontamination coverage. The technique can be used in conjunction with other decontamination methods, and its notable because of the use of low water and sanitizers quantities compared to dispersing these resources in liquid form. With the emergence of resistant microorganisms and emerging diseases, decontamination methods within the industry need to ensure the safety of food products and the employees that keep it running. Nebulization acts as a decontamination method that helps remove airborne microbial loads from the environment, equipment surfaces, and food. Bioaerosols consisting of bacteria, fungi, and viruses can, under favorable temperature and humidity conditions, cause a host of problems, from reduced shelf life to food poisoning outbreaks. Although there are few reports of studies using or simulating a real food industry space, nebulization can be a fundamental to disinfection of these environments and emerge as a strategic way to control the spread of microorganisms. The objective of this work was to expose the nebulization technique pointing out its versatility. The decontamination of the stainlesssteel surface by nebulization and immersion of commercial disinfectants (based on sodium hypochlorite - 200 ppm and peracetic acid - 108 ppm) was used, using S. Thyphimurium, E. coli (times of 1, 3, 5 and 15 minutes) and Staphylococcus aureus (times of 3, 5, 7 and 15 minutes), to verify the microbial inactivation behavior. The inactivation effect of these pathogens was reported and observed in the reduction of microbial contamination analyzed by the present study.