Abstract

MONITORING OF EMPLOYEES´ PERSONAL HYGIENE IN THE FOOD PROCESSING PLANT AS A TOOL TO PREVENT FOOD-BORNE DISEASES

Veszelits Lakticová K., Vargová M. and Zigo F.*

ABSTRACT

One of the most vital elements of hygiene in the food industry is hand hygiene. The spread of germs from the hands of food workers to food is a common cause of food-borne diseases. From the point of view of the employees hand hygiene working in the food industry, it is not only important to use soap and regularly wash hands, but also to control the correct hand washing technique. The use of the bioluminescence method in food industry has its justification. The bioluminescence method is one of the new modern methods, the advantages of which are primarily speed, simplicity, time and personnel simplicity, easy manipulation, detection of the presence of impurities and the possibility of immediate correction. Currently, methods based on bioluminescence are starting to be used more and more widely. The application of bioluminescence in hygiene control is based on the measurement of the ATP (adenosine triphosphate)amount found in all living cells or in their particles, as well as in microorganisms, in which it serves as an energy source. The amount of light released during the bioluminescence reaction of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) with specific chemical reagents is directly proportional to the amount of ATP, and therefore also to the amount of microorganisms. The course of reaction is very fast, the amount of light produced can be objectively quantified using a sensitive device (luminometer), which is able to capture and measure even a very small amount of light produced. In our work, we focused on the monitoring of worker´s personal hygiene working in a food processing plant using the ATP method. We evaluated the hand hygiene of workers working in the puff pastry production section and in the puff pastry packaging section before starting production, during production and the end of work shift. From the total 40 ATP swabs taken from workers working in the puff pastry production area, only two swabs were hygienically unsatisfactory. We detected contamination of the workers hands no. 2 and no.4. At the beginning of the work shift, we detected 570 RLU (relative light unit) on the hands of worker no.4. Before the end of the work shift, we detected 3652 RLU on the hands of worker no. 2. From the the total number of 20 swabs taken from workers working in the puff pastry packaging section only one ATP swab was unsatisfactory. An unsatisfactory swab was detected on the hands of worker no. 2 at the beginning of the shift with the number of 520 RLU.

Keywords: Personal hygiene, ATP, Bioluminiscence method, workers, Food-borne diseases.