Cleaning verification is a cornerstone of every food safety program, but what if the industry’s most widely used rapid hygiene test is missing significant contamination?

This white paper explains why conventional ATP-only tests can produce false negatives, especially in real food processing environments where ATP quickly degrades into ADP and AMP. According to research highlighted in the paper from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, ADP can account for up to 90% of total adenylates in raw or processed meat, while AMP becomes predominant after cooking. These degradation pathways mean that ATP-only swabs often underestimate soil loads, giving facilities a misleading sense of hygiene compliance.

This paper breaks down the science behind adenylate metabolism, shows how processing steps (like grinding or heating) shift ATP/ADP/AMP ratios, and explains why total adenylate testing (ATP+ADP+AMP) offers substantially higher sensitivity for detecting residual contamination especially in high-risk environments like dairy, meat, seafood, and complex food matrices.

Whether you manage sanitation, QA/FSQA, validation, or environmental programs, this evidence-based guide will help you evaluate whether your current hygiene verification tools are truly fit for purpose and what to consider when modernizing your approach.

Download the white paper to learn how improved detection can strengthen food safety, protect processing integrity, and reduce risk.