Spore-forming bacteria are a major concern for the food industry as they cause both spoilage and food safety issues. Moreover, as they are more resistant than vegetative cells, their removal from the food processing environment may be difficult to achieve. This study investigated the efficacy of the ten most commonly used disinfectant agents (assigned 1-10), used at the recommended concentrations in the meat industry, for their ability to eliminate Clostridium sporogenes and Clostridioides difficile spores. Test-tube based suspension assays suggested that disinfectants 2 (10% v/v preparation of a mixture of hydrogen peroxide (10-30%), acetic acid (1-10%) and peracetic acid (1-10%)), 7 (4% w/v preparation of a mixture of peroxymonosulphate (30-50%), sulphamic acid (1-10%) and troclosene sodium (1-10%)) and 10 (2% v/v preparation of a mixture of glutaraldehyde (10-30%), benzalkonium chloride (1-10%)) were the most effective formulations. D-values for these ranged from 2.1 to 8.4 min at 20 °C for the target spores. Based on these findings, it is recommended that these disinfectants are used to control Clostridium spores in the meat plant environment.
Keywords: Clostridioides difficile; Clostridium sporogenes; D values; disinfectants; spores; sporicidal agents.