Valutazione della resistenza a sanificanti utilizzati nell’industria alimentare in Staphylococcus aureus

The new trends in food production lead to an increased need for efficient sanitary practices and consequently a more frequent use of chemical disinfection. In this study 10 Staphylococcus aureus strains were tested for resistance and adaptation responses towards Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (QAC). Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) determinations were performed in order to evaluate the strains resistance to each sanitizer. One strain showed high resistance to QACs. Increasing disinfecting concentration resulted in the adaptation of Staphylococcus aureus. The final MICs, however, did not exceed the concentrations used in working solutions in the food processing plants. Most antimicrobials were observed to cause crossadaptation to other disinfectants. Results obtained in this study may be valuable when designing a rotation of disinfectants in food processing plants, since very little information is available on how the rotation should be performed and which disinfectants to use.