Minimum temperature and duration for the sanitizing rinse step?

Minimum temperature and duration for the sanitizing rinse step?

• A. 200°F for 10 seconds
• B. 150°F for 60 seconds
• C. 120°F for 20 seconds
• D. 171°F for 30 seconds

Answer: (D)

In hot-water sanitizing, you must expose cleaned items to a high enough temperature for a sufficient period to kill microbes. The minimum effective combination commonly used is 171°F (77°C) held for 30 seconds. This ensures the heat penetrates to all surfaces and provides enough contact time for sanitization. The other options don’t meet the standard: 200°F for 10 seconds is hotter but shorter than the required contact time; 120°F for 20 seconds is not hot enough to sanitize; 150°F for 60 seconds uses more time but still isn’t the minimum heat-duration pair defined for this step.

In hot-water sanitizing, you must expose cleaned items to a high enough temperature for a sufficient period to kill microbes. The minimum effective combination commonly used is 171°F (77°C) held for 30 seconds. This ensures the heat penetrates to all surfaces and provides enough contact time for sanitization.

The other options don’t meet the standard: 200°F for 10 seconds is hotter but shorter than the required contact time; 120°F for 20 seconds is not hot enough to sanitize; 150°F for 60 seconds uses more time but still isn’t the minimum heat-duration pair defined for this step.