Removing Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli biofilms on stainless steel by cleaning-in-place (CIP) cleaning agents

We investigated the effects of cleaning-in-place (CIP) cleaning agents, food additives and other compounds (EDTA, Tween20 and SDS) on the removal of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli biofilm from stainless steel plates. S. aureus formed thick biofilm and was more resistant to cleaning than E. coli biofilm. Strong acidic and strong alkaline CIP cleaning agents showed a significant cleaning effect. Strong alkaline CIP cleaning agents were especially effective for the removal of S. aureus biofilm.