Variable fluid mechanics explain why static efficacy tests overestimate sanitizer performance against Listeria

Pathogen cross-contamination during food production is primarily controlled through environmental sanitation. However, sanitizer efficacy is often studied in bench-scale experiments that poorly approximate the fluid dynamics of sanitization and limit our understanding of commercial sanitization efficacy. This study paired computational fluid dynamics estimates of shear stress with experimental measurements of Listeria innocua reduction on stainless steel following treatment with 100 ppm hypochlorite sanitizer. At the pilot scale, sanitizer spray manually applied by researchers achieved a 2.6 ± 0.4 log CFU/surface reduction; however, microbial reduction from manual operation of sanitizer spray equipment differed significantly between researchers (P < 0.05). Microbial reduction varied by location following stationary, bench-scale spray application of sanitizer for 3 s. The greatest reduction was at the point of sanitizer spray impingement (7.5 ± 0.5 log CFU/surface) and directly adjacent to the impingement point (6.4 ± 0.7 log CFU/surface), where shear stress was the highest. Significantly less microbial reduction (0.4 ± 0.1 log CFU/surface) occurred where shear stress was lowest in the fluid film of sanitizer running down from the impingement point (P < 0.05). Static submersion of inoculated coupons in sanitizer for 3 s resulted in a log reduction of 2.3 ± 0.1 log CFU/surface. Discrepancies between bench-scale spraying, pilot-scale spraying, and submerged coupons demonstrate the need for sanitizer efficacy testing under realistic conditions to better estimate the risk reduction achieved through sanitation programs.IMPORTANCESanitation is critical for controlling pathogen cross-contamination during food production. These findings highlight the limitations of traditional approaches to sanitizer efficacy testing, not because they are invalid, but because they do not reflect the level of microbial reduction typically achieved in application. We demonstrate that these differences in outcomes are attributable to fluid dynamics and exposure, which are not well approximated in submerged coupon experiments. Accurate estimation of microbial reduction from sanitizer application is needed to guide food safety policy decisions. For example, overestimation of the risk reduction conferred by sanitizer treatment may result in food safety policies that neglect other sources of microbial reduction within sanitation programs.