This article explores the use of peroxyacetic acid formulations as disinfectants in food factories.
Peroxyacetic Acid's Resistance to Organic Matter
The most significant feature of peroxyacetic acid, setting it apart from hypochlorous acid, is its ability to maintain its disinfecting power even in the presence of large amounts of organic matter.
With hypochlorous acid, the presence of organic materials on the surfaces to be disinfected can consume the active oxygen used for killing microbes. This consumption by coexisting organic matter can reduce its effectiveness in eliminating microbes.
On the contrary, peroxyacetic acid is relatively less depleted by such organic substances.
How Peroxyacetic Acid is Made
The reason behind this lies in how peroxyacetic acid is produced. Peroxyacetic acid is created by adding hydrogen peroxide to acetic acid. As a result, peroxyacetic acid forms and dissociates into acetic acid and oxygen radicals. These oxygen radicals possess oxidizing power. However, the acetic acid produced here can cycle back to become the original acetic acid used to make peroxyacetic acid, thus creating a cycle. This mechanism ensures that the disinfecting power of peroxyacetic acid does not diminish, even in the presence of large amounts of organic matter.
Standards for Peroxyacetic Acid Formulations
While the use of peroxyacetic acid in food processing varies worldwide due to differing regulations, it is generally a commonly employed disinfectant. In Japan, peroxyacetic acid is widely used for cleaning lines in food manufacturing plants. Furthermore, its use as a surface disinfectant for meat and vegetables was approved in 2016.
