Sanitizers and disinfectants are not hard to test, you just need to know what primary sanitizer you want to test.
|
Sanitizers |
Typical Concentrations |
Ways to Test |
Pros |
Cons |
| Iodine | 12.5 ppm - 25 ppm | Test Strips, Chemical Test Kits, Photometry (Spectrophotometry), Electrochemical Sensors and Titration |
- Relatively wide pH range of efficacy (2-5) - Effective against many different organisms - Relatively stable in areas with residual organic debris |
- 2-4x more expensive than chlorine - Very temperature-dependent (75 - 120°F) - Longer contact time required - Can stain porous plastics |
| Peroxyacetic Acid (Peracetic Acid, PAA) |
24 ppm - 80 ppm (Food Industry/Foods) 50 ppm - 500 ppm (Equipment and Surfaces) |
Test Strips, Photometry (Spectrophotometry), Electrochemical Sensors and Titration |
- Maintains efficacy in organic soils unlike chlorine - Hard water is not a problem - Environmentally friendly as it breaks down into vinegar and oxygen |
- Corrosive to skin - Breaks down quickly, so concentration should be monitored frequently - Does not leave a residual protection, like chlorine - Expensive compared to chlorine (3-5x) - Most effect <pH 7 |
| Bromine | Pools & Spas: 1 -3 ppm | Test Strips, Photometry (Spectrophotometry), Electrochemical Sensors and Titration |
- Does not leave much of a residual, so does not require additional chemicals for removal - Works across a broader range of pH than chlorine 7-8.5 - Better for alkaline waters - More stable in higher temps than chlorine - Better for hot tubs - Does not react adversely with ammonia like chlorine |
- Does not leave much of a residual so not a good choice for drinking water - Because it's so reactive, more needs to be added to be effective - Corrosive to metals |
| Cooling Towers: 2.5 - 15 ppm | ||||
| Industrial Pasteurizers: 1 - 9 ppm | ||||
| Paper and Pulp: 1 - 9 ppm | ||||
| Decorative Fountains: 4.5 - 9 ppm | ||||
| Poultry: 200 - 450 ppm | ||||
| Meat: 300 - 900 ppm | ||||
| Chlorine | Chlorine as a Sanitizer: 50 - 200 ppm | Test Strips, Chemical Test Kits, Photometry (Spectrophotometry), Electrochemical Sensors and Titration |
- Relatively inexpensive - Low contact time needed for effectiveness |
- Odorous - Reacts with organic debris, diminishing effectiveness - Effective in very narrow pH range 6.7 - 7.5 pH - Corrosive - Skin irritant - Leaves residual chlorine, which can impact taste |
| Drinking-Water: 1ppm of residual chlorine | ||||
| Meat and Poultry: 50 - 100 ppm | ||||
| Produce Washing: 40 - 350 ppm (Varies) | ||||
| Pools and Spas: 1.5 - 3 ppm of residual chlorine | ||||
| Quaternary Ammonia (QUATS) | 200 ppm | Test Strips, Chemical Test Kits, Photometry (Spectrophotometry), Electrochemical Sensors and Titration, Chromatography |
- Colorless - Odorless - Non-corrosive - Works in a pH range of 6 - 10 - Can be used at high temps |
- Respiratory and skin irritant - Ineffective against spores and gram negative bacteria - Sensitive to hard water |
| Ethanol | 60 - 95% | Hydrometer, Photometry (Spectrophotometry), Chromatography |
- Widely available - Low contact time |
- Can cause dry or cracked hands - Non-sporicidal - Highly flammable |