FOOD 4310 Study Guide - Hydrogen Peroxide, Cheesemaking, Gram-Positive Bacteria
Document Summary
As an element in cleaning products, chlorine is used to kill bacteria, disinfect and sanitize food surfaces. It can also be used to clean fruits and vegetables. For best results, chlorine (or chlorine-based chemicals) should be used at room temperature (any hotter, and the chlorine compounds may release chlorine gas which is toxic!). It should also be used at its optimum ph of 6 to 7. Higher concentrations are highly effective (ie. 50-200ppm) to disinfect food surfaces. However, very high concentrations of chlorine (ie. higher than 200ppm) aren"t recommended because they can cause corrosion, explosions, and adverse effects of workers. The longer the exposure time, the more bactericidal activity there will be. Note: if the chlorine solution being used is less than 200ppm, rinsing isn"t required. Using chlorine solution that is more than 200 ppm requires a warm rinse afterwards (letting chlorine stay in contact with equipment for more than approximately 30 minutes causes corrosion).
