Food Manufacatures should be using ATP Testing

It is essential to determine the cleanliness of food processing equipment and manufacturing areas before they are used for food production. Luminometers help processors monitor surfaces that may contaminate food products and compromise product safety and quality.

Visual assessment is commonly used to evaluate surface cleanliness, but it is subjective and unreliable. It needs to be combined with other testing methods (including luminometers) to ensure food contact surfaces are clean. Luminometers provide rapid, real-time data to help processors assess and validate the hygienic status of food contact surfaces.  Surface cleanliness can be evaluated in seconds using a luminometer to measure residual amounts of the chemical marker adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is a compound found in all types of plant, animal and microbial cells.      The science behind the luminometer is based on the enzyme luciferase – the same enzyme that makes firefly tails glow at night. Residual ATP interacts with luciferase to generate light. This light is measured by the luminometer and is recorded in relative light units (RLU). The amount of light generated is directly proportional to the amount of ATP present – an indication of the total biological contamination level. If you are a food manufacturer or a produce grower/packer and want more infomation on ATP testing, send us an e-mail.