Prior to the availability of ATP swab tests, food production professionals would check surfaces for the presence of pathogens through a combination of visual inspections (which are not highly effective) and microbial lab tests (which are not fast). Using ATP swabs can allow professionals to quickly get more precise results.

After a surface is swabbed, the sample is mixed with a testing solution that contains luciferase (a substance from fireflies). This triggers a reaction that can then be measured, with the amount of light being emitted providing information about contamination levels in just seconds. The light will be in direct proportion to the ATP found in the sample being tested.

As with any product, different brands can vary in effectiveness. Hygiena SystemSURE Plus has been demonstrated to be the most precise and accurate system available with an acceptable standard error limit of +/- 10%. Compare that to other systems and brands, which can have error limits of up to 130% (which is very imprecise and inaccurate) and you can easily see how SystemSURE Plus leads the field in ATP testing accuracy.

Testing should typically be performed after a surface or piece of equipment has been cleaned but before sanitization takes place. This will allow your facility to determine the effectiveness of the cleaning protocol and will indicate whether additional cleaning needs to take place; if so, the surface or piece of equipment could then be re-tested to adjust your facility’s cleaning protocols. Whenever possible, hold off on sanitization processes until all residue is removed because sanitizers are less effective when some material is still present.

In some situations, sanitization needs to be done before testing can occur. Most sanitizing products will not change the results of Hygiena’s ATP swab tests, which means that there should not be sanitizer interference if the proper concentration is used and the appropriate dwell time is followed.

ATP swabs should be used on surfaces and equipment that have been cleaned; If used on ones that are known to be dirty or contaminated, the test result would already be known. So, the ATP testing should only be done after cleaning, choosing a statistically representative sample to interpret and report results.

You can use ATP testing on any surface where you want to confirm its cleanliness. Using a hospital as an example, this can include patient rooms, surgical equipment and tools, operating rooms, lobbies and waiting rooms, staff workstations, including their keyboards, and places known to be high touch areas.

To receive consistent readings, swab surfaces in consistent conditions—either consistently on wet or dry surfaces. (With Hygiena, you can easily recover maximum samples on dry surfaces because ATP swabs are pre-moistened.) Swab a 4’ by 4’ inch area or, if the area is hard to clean, swab as much of the surface as you can. To avoid contamination, make sure that you don’t allow the swab to come in contact with another surface and that you don’t touch its shaft.

When swabbing, apply enough pressure to pick up residue and any biofilm that may be there. A biofilm can form wherever microorganisms find the right environment with food and moisture. These undesirable microorganisms work collectively to create a sticky polymer that becomes a solid substance on a surface. Once a biofilm exists, it can be quite challenging to eliminate, which is why it’s so important to test for them.

During testing, rotate the swab to get samples on all sides. Then, place the swab back into its tube. When the testing device is activated, read the results as soon as you can.

Hygiena ATP tests have a shelf life period of fifteen months from the manufacture date at refrigerated temperatures of 2-8°C (35-46°F) and four weeks from the manufacturer date at room temperatures of 21-25°C (70-77°F). Each swab label comes with the expiration month and year printed on them for easy reference.