Research

The food-contact surfaces of the following equipment were not observed sanitized: particularly the soda gun nozzle. Build up of slime in nozzle.

High-street restaurant in Virginia, USA

Violations included heavy buildup of black slime on inside of ice machine, rusty door hinge in contact with ice; greenish-brown slime and mold growth on soda gun nozzles and holders.

Casino, Las Vegas

Soda Gun has an accumulation of syrups/mold growth; ensure the gun & holder is properly washed, rinsed, sanitized daily.

Bar, Delaware, USA

Beverages obtained from soda fountain machines in the U.S. contain microorganisms, including coliform bacteria.

Ninety beverages of three types (sugar sodas, diet sodas and water) were obtained from 20 self-service and 10 personnel-dispensed soda fountains, analyzed for microbial contamination, and evaluated with respect to U.S. drinking water regulations. A follow-up study compared the concentration and composition of microbial populations in 27 beverages collected from 9 soda fountain machines in the morning as well as in the afternoon. Ice dispensed from these machines was also     examined for microbial contamination. While none of the ice samples exceeded U.S. drinking water standards, coliform bacteria was detected in 48% of the beverages and 20% had a heterotrophic plate count greater than 500 cfu/ml.

Statistical analyses revealed no difference in levels of microbial contamination between beverage types or between those dispensed from self-service and personnel-dispensed soda fountains. More than 11% of the beverages analyzed contained Escherichia coli and over 17% contained Chryseobacterium meningosepticum. Other opportunistic pathogenic microorganisms isolated from the beverages included species of Klebsiella, Staphylococcus, Stenotrophomonas, Candida, and Serratia. Most of the identified bacteria showed resistance to one or more of the 11 antibiotics tested. These findings suggest that soda fountain machines may harbor persistent communities of potentially pathogenic microorganisms which may contribute to episodic gastric distress in the general population and could pose a more significant health risk to immunocompromised individuals.