Which disinfectant is right for me?

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regulatory review

Which Disinfectant is Right for Me?

Food safety has made its way to the forefront of the US government’s agenda for the first time in decades
because of recent Salmonella outbreaks in peanut butter, eggs and various vegetables. The Food Safety
and Modernization Act was signed into law in early January and it is designed to focus on the prevention
of food-borne illnesses. Although dietary supplements are regulated by specific cGMPs, these new
regulations will apply to dietary supplement manufacturers too. A large portion of this bill requires
manufacturers to devise plans such as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) to locate
problematic areas and produce ways to eliminate or reduce the hazard. In doing so, the proper selection of
disinfecting agent(s) is an important part of the process as they provide a way to reduce contamination.

C

hoosing the correct disinfectant
depends on the environmental
conditions surrounding the
manufacturing process. First,
you must know what organism you want to
eliminate. Not all organisms are of high-risk
concern under all circumstances. For example,
in a situation when there is limited or no human
interaction with the consumable product, but
there are raw materials of plant origin, there
will be less concern about Streptococcus,

Staphylococcus or Shigella because these
organisms are typically associated with human
skin and excrement and transferred by the
improper handling of consumables. However,
contamination could come from organisms
such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella and
Campylobacter as these organisms are
associated with soil, untreated water and
livestock, all of which can ultimately be
the source of contact for a raw material of
botanical origin. The most effective disinfectant
would be the one that can effectively kill
all organisms and not be affected by the
presence of organic matter, hard water
or soaps/detergents. Although no single
disinfectant can cover all aspects, there are
many available that will provide the coverage
needed for most scenarios.
A very good broad-spectrum group
includes aldehyde compounds. This group
of disinfectants is effective in destroying
many harmful organisms including vegetative
bacteria (bacteria in the actively growing state),
mycobacterium, bacterial spores, enveloped
viruses, non-enveloped viruses and fungi.
However, they do show reduced efficacy in
the presence of organic matter, hard water
or soaps. The aldehyde disinfectants can be
carcinogenic and are mucus membrane and
tissue irritants. Therefore, they should only
be used in well-ventilated areas. The least
effective at killing organisms are the biguanide
compounds, including chlorhexidine.
Biguanide compounds are effective in
eliminating vegetative bacteria, but not spores.

www.nutraceuticalmag.com

March/April 2011

Their effectiveness is limited against viruses
and fungi. Biguanides only function in a limited
pH range — 5–7 — which could be a problem
in some work environments. Biguanide
compounds also have environmental issues:
they are toxic to fish.
Another good disinfectant with low to
moderate cost is the phenolic group. This
category of disinfectants is very effective in
the presence of organic material and soaps
or detergents. They are effective in eliminating
vegetative bacteria and enveloped viruses.
There is a varied effect on Mycobacteria,
non-enveloped viruses and fungi, and it’s
non-sporocidal. The environmental concern
is its toxicity to animals, especially cats
and pigs. The two most cost-effective
disinfectants are the halogen group and
the quaternary ammonium compounds.
The common halogen disinfectants are
the hypochlorite compounds (bleach) and
iodine compounds. In general, they provide
a wide germicidal activity. The hypochlorite
compounds are effective in eliminating
vegetative bacteria, Mycobacteria, enveloped
viruses, non-enveloped viruses and fungi.
It has a variable effect on spores. There are
some disadvantages with this disinfectant.
Care must be taken to shield it from UV
light as it denatures the compound and
renders it useless. This compound requires
frequent application to surfaces and presents
another challenge in that it is highly corrosive.
Moreover, like aldehyde compounds, they
are mucus membrane and tissue irritants
so employee safety must be considered
before selecting this disinfectant. Iodine has
slightly different characteristics. It effectively
eliminates vegetative bacteria cells, enveloped
viruses and fungi, but has a limited effect on
Mycobacteria, non-enveloped viruses and
bacterial endospores. The disadvantages of
iodine compounds are that they are inactivated
by Quaternary Ammonium compounds
(Quats), which could pose a problem when
iodine and Quats are used in rotation.

The next most cost-effective disinfectants
are the Quats. These compounds are very
stable in storage, do not irritate the skin
and are effective at high temperatures
and pH (9–10). However, Quats are very
effective in eliminating vegetative Gram
positive bacteria but have a limited effect
on Gram negative bacteria. These might
be useful when you are worried about
spoilage caused by Gram positives such
as Bacillus subtilis and lactobacillus or
contamination with pathogenic Gram
positives such as Staphylococcus aureus,
Listeria monocytogenes, Streptococcus
and Clostridium. However, Gram negatives
such as Pseudomonas, Shigella, Escherichia
coli and Salmonella may not be completely
eliminated. It has a varied effect on
Mycobacteria and enveloped viruses, and
no effect on non-enveloped viruses and
spores. The remaining categories are the
coal tar distillates (cresol), alcohols and
oxidizing agents (hydrogen peroxide). All are
good broad-spectrum compounds but carry
a higher cost than other disinfectants. The
oxidizing agents and cresols are corrosive
to work areas and the alcohols are highly
flammable. The alcohols and oxidizing agents
are hindered by the presence of organic
matter whereas the cresols are not.
The bottom line is to determine what
biological hazards might be present or
of concern in your plant and, based on
these, select the appropriate disinfectant.
Furthermore, it is always wise to rotate the
disinfectants to prevent one of those organisms
that amass on your equipment from mutating
and becoming resistant to the disinfectant.

For more information
Dr Cheri Turman and Benny McKee
Contact Dr Turman, Director of Chemistry
Analytical Food Laboratories
Tel. +1 800 242 6494
[email protected]
www.afltexas.com

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

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