ESTUDO DO PROCESSO DE NEBULIZAÇÃO COM ÁCIDO PERACÉTICO NA INATIVAÇÃO DE SALMONELLA SPP. EM SUPERFÍCIES COMPOSTAS POR POLIPROPILENO (PP) E POLIETILENO (PE)

Abstract

Waterborne and Foodborne Diseases (WFD), resulting from the ingestion of pathogenic agents such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins, or chemical substances, represent a significant public health concern. These diseases prevention is directly linked to the implementation of strict hygiene and sanitary controls in environments dedicated to food processing. Among the main bacterial agents associated with foodborne outbreaks worldwide, Salmonella spp. stands out, often linked to severe cases of foodborne infections.The sanitation stage serves as an essential barrier against the spread of WFDs in handling environments and is crucial for preventing the bacteria multiplication and dissemination throughout the production process. However, this stage requires a high volume of water, which underscores the need to develop methods that maintain sanitization effectiveness while optimizing water usage. Among the emerging techniques for environmental microbiological control, fogging, also known as aerosolization, has emerged as a promising alternative, especially due to its application method, which involves the dispersion of a fine sanitizing mist. This characteristic allows for homogeneous surface coverage and enables its use in different production environments, enhancing the overall effectiveness of the sanitation process. Given this context, the present study aims to evaluate the sanitizing efficacy of peracetic acid applied to polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) surfaces experimentally contaminated with pooled strains of Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella Enteritidis, and Salmonella Kentucky. Then, fogging and immersion techniques were employed, and the efficiency of the sanitization process was analyzed at different exposure times, along with the volume of water used in each method. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of both techniques evaluated, indicating that this is an emerging and applicable method for the decontamination of surfaces composed of polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE).