Everything you need to know about ATP Testing
Testing the hygiene of surfaces in food production environments requires a multi-level approach. Cleanliness can’t be determined simply by close visual inspection, and the presence of microbial life can hide in the smallest of nooks and crevices.
This is where ATP testing has emerged as an essential practice. With it, the presence and concentration of ATP can be determined. From that, some important inferences can be made about a surface and the effectiveness of its cleaning routines.
What is ATP?
ATP stands for adenosine triphosphate. It is an energy-carrying molecule that is found in the cells of living things, including plants as well as animals. It is produced inside organelles such as mitochondria and chloroplasts.
This means that the presence of ATP means, therefore, the presence of biological cells. On a surface that appears otherwise clean and sanitised, this can reveal that microbes invisible to the human eye are still surviving on that surface.
ATP is not alive itself; rather, it’s a useful molecule that acts like a kind of transport for energy, delivering it to the places it needs to go in order to fuel processes elsewhere. Because it’s found in and around living cells, it’s the best indicator of microbial life that might have persisted after sanitation.
What is ATP testing?
ATP testing is a method of detecting ATP’s presence, usually applied to objects and surfaces. Testing indicates the levels of ATP rather than a simple yes/no test for presence, allowing you to gauge just how ATP-dense the test area is and analyse your findings against existing quality assurance processes.
ATP testing uses swabs to collect a sample from the test area. This is then introduced to a liquid containing a naturally occurring enzyme that reacts with any ATP on the swab, producing light.
The resulting luminescence is measured using a luminometer, which uses a unit of measurement known as relative light units (RLU) to gauge how much ATP must be present to produce the according level of light.
It should be noted that ATP testing merely tests for the presence of any ATP. It cannot reveal precisely what kind of living cells have produced the detected ATP.
As such, an ATP test can’t be used to gauge specifically whether viruses, fungi, or other types of lifeform are present; only ATP, which could have originated from any manner of living cells.
Why Should You Test for ATP?
Food safety is an ever-present issue in the UK food and drink industry. Research from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) indicates that around 2.4 million cases of foodborne illness occur in the UK every year.
Consequently, the food and drink industry and healthcare sectors use ATP testing extensively for hygiene and safety purposes.
Testing for the presence of ATP helps businesses dealing with food preparation to verify the effectiveness of their cleaning routines, as well as their quality assurance and control purposes.
This is essential for complying with food safety and hygiene requirements, but it is also a key obligation on those who have a duty of care to their customers. This encompasses small businesses all the way up to bakeries and food producers with a national reach.
ATP testing is particularly necessary in food production environments as the presence of food can foster microbial growth if not cleaned up properly. While cleaning products may appear to eliminate the presence of contaminations, unseen traces can linger like the roots of mould.
Food can also become sources of nutrients for bacteria, encouraging the growth of bacteria, mould, and yeast.
Therefore, testing for ATP can provide both an early warning system and a means of verifying whether food environments are suitably hygienic.
How Do You Use the Charm PocketSwab ATP Test?
The Charm PocketSwab ATP test is a single-use swab test to be used in conjunction with the Charm novaLUM II-X luminometer, which gives rapid results at an advanced level of sensitivity.
Using the test is a simple three-stage procedure:
Swab the surface with the PocketSwab.
Insert the swab into its body and shake.
Insert the swab into the reader for the results.
The PocketSwab releases a controlled dosage of luciferin onto the test surface, prompting the reaction with any ATP present to produce luminescence.
Once inserted into the novaLUM system, the RLUs are read to determine the concentration of ATP. By using Charm AllerGiene ATP Swabs, ATP that correlates to the presence of common food allergens—like peanuts and shellfish—can be determined for better control of the production environment.
Additionally, Charm Fieldswab ATP tests are designed for special use in outdoor locations and sites such as grain storage and farm machinery.
By selecting the right swab for the chosen environment, ATP testing can be fast, specified, and effective at determining hygiene and tightening sanitation.
The PocketSwab’s simple three-stage testing technique is highly effective and gives you the data you need fast, helping to prevent cross-contamination on equipment or surfaces. The Pocketswab is one of the only tests on the market that breaks down biofilms which can commonly interfere with test results.
To learn more about our products for ATP testing and get expert advice on the practice, contact Calibre Control today.