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Soap Wars: Antibacterial vs. Nonantibacterial - Who Reigns Supreme After Handling Raw Poultry?
Ensuring safe food involves various food safety practices, such as temperature control, environmental cleaning and sanitation, and hand hygiene. Hand hygiene is a crucial measure for reducing pathogens and their potential transfer in critical environments. However, there is no specific requirement to choose between antibacterial soap and cosmetic soap in food service settings.
Ecolab RD&E partnered with the researchers at the University of Arizona, Zuckerberg School of Public Health to evaluate the impact of using antibacterial soap vs. non-antibacterial soap on the reduction of pathogens on hands, the survival versus neutralization of bacteria during the washing process, and the transfer of bacteria from hands to other surfaces following a typical food handling event. The results highlighted significant differences in the effectiveness of antibacterial soap compared to non-antibacterial soap.
The Study
Test subjects were recruited to simulate the process of cutting and handling raw poultry, resulting in pathogenic bacterial contamination on their hands. Each subject then washed their hands using either antibacterial or non-antibacterial soap under consistent washing conditions. After washing, samples were taken to measure the effectiveness of each soap in removing and killing bacteria, the rate at which bacteria were removed from the hands, and the transfer rates of residual bacteria to other surfaces after washing. This thorough approach provides a detailed analysis of the soaps’ cleaning efficacy, bactericidal properties, and potential impact on cross-contamination for each soap type.
The Results
- Antibacterial soap yielded 70-80% fewer bacteria on hands compared to non-antibacterial soap.
- In addition to producing greater reduction of bacteria on hands, the Antibacterial soap killed the transient pathogens, with 99-99.9% fewer surviving bacteria in the handwash rinse water compared to the non-antimicrobial soap.
- After washing, using antibacterial soap resulted in 2-6 times less bacteria being transferred from hands to surfaces compared to non-antibacterial soap.
Food service facilities can choose between antibacterial and non-antibacterial soaps, as both are permitted by the food code. Our aim is to share this research to illustrate how each type of soap can affect the control and transfer of foodborne pathogens in food preparation and processing environments. Full details of this peer-reviewed research are available in the Journal of Food Protection (June 2024, Volume 87, Issue 6; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfp.2024.100272).
