Evaluation of the quality of CIP or foam washing with the help of ATP determination

• What is ATP?
• Why determine ATP on the surface of the equipment and in the flushing water?
• How to measure the amount of ATP?

What is ATP?

ATP (adenosine triphosphoric acid) is a substance responsible for the storage, exchange and use of energy in cells for the implementation of biochemical processes. Thus, ATP is used in the life of any living cell. Since this substance is necessary for the vital processes of microorganisms, its determination makes it possible to detect exactly living microorganisms and evaluate the microbiological activity of the controlled environment.

Why determine ATP on equipment surfaces and in wash water?

Any food business uses CIP/foam washers and is faced with the need to clean their equipment. Equipment cleaning is necessary to maintain the quality of commercial products, as well as to ensure safety for the end user.

Determination of ATP on the surface is a simple and quick way to check the efficiency of washing equipment. This method eliminates the lengthy processes of culture medium preparation, sampling, culture of microorganisms and cell counting. ATP can also be determined in wastewater after washing equipment and pipelines. Thus, the effectiveness of equipment cleaning can be assessed both by how much ATP remains on the surface and by the concentration of ATP in the water used for washing. The ATP concentration reflects the number of microorganisms in the environment. Thus, control of the ATP concentration allows you to quickly respond to an increase in microbiological activity, prevent bio-fouling of pipes, spoilage of commercial products and timely eliminate problems in the technological cycle.

How to measure the amount of ATP?

Today, the most common method for measuring ATP is luminometric. This method is based on the implementation of an enzymatic reaction, as a result of which the reaction mixture begins to glow. To read the test results, a luminometer is used - a device that measures the intensity of light.

With regard to ATP tests, the more intense the glow, the greater the concentration of ATP. 3M's CleanTrace luminometers are the most common in this area. The company has solutions for the determination of ATP both on the surface of the equipment and in wash water - the UXL100 and AQT200 test, as well as a luminometer for reading the measurement results.

The measurement algorithm is extremely simple:

1. Remove the sterile swab from the individual packaging and wipe the area to be analyzed (approximately 10x10 cm) by pressing and rotating the swab;
2. In the next step, place the swab in the test and press the top of the test to place the sample into the reaction mixture, then shake the test vigorously;
3. After shaking, immediately place the test in the device and close the lid, the device will determine the intensity of the glow and display the result.