The Disinfectant Effects of Benzalkonium Chloride on Some Important Foodborne Pathogens

Antimicrobial chemicals are widely applied in the food processing industry. In attention to extent uses of disinfectants, it is necessary to evaluate and certificate the efficacy of disinfectants and employing the minimum effective dosages. In this research the antibacterial influences of a common disinfectant solution used in food industry, benzalkonium chloride that is a quaternary ammonium compound, were evaluated on six important foodborne pathogens including three Gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes and Bacillus cereus) and three Gram negative bacteria (Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). According to the obtained results after three times conducing experiments, Listeria monocytogenes and Bacillus cereus were the most sensitive and resistant studied bacteria with MIC and MBC equal to 30 & 35 mg/L and 140 & 160 mg/L respectively. In attention to obtained results, the used disinfectant has good antibacterial effects. Benzalkonium chloride was more effective on Gram positive than Gram negative bacteria, except Bacillus cereus because of its ability to spore formation. In attention to extent resistance towards quaternary ammonium compounds, further studies have to be done to verify if the bacteria develop resistance toward common disinfectants such as the benzalkonium chloride.