Abstract

Attachment of undesirable microorganisms to surfaces that contact food is a source of concern, since it can result in product contamination leading to serious economic and health problems. Bacteria aggregated to form biofilms are more resistant to environmental stress than planktonic cells. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the bactericidal effect of sodium hypochlorite and peracetic acid associated with ultrasound (40 Hz) to control the adhesion of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus hominis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from two fish species from the Amazon region: butterfly peacock (Cichla ocellaris) and piramutaba (Brachyplatystoma vailantii). After incubation at 30°C for 24 h, stainless steel coupons were treated for 10 min by different concentrations of sodium hypochlorite (50, 100 and 150 mg/L) and peracetic acid (40, 60 and 80 mg/L) at 25°C. The sodium hypochlorite (150 mg/L) and peracetic acid (80 mg/L) treatments were also combined with ultrasound (40 Hz) for 10 min at 25°C. The results showed that the recommended treatment based on this study was the use of peracetic acid combined with ultrasound.

Key words: Sanitizer, adhesion, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus hominis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa.