Traditional hygiene monitoring has historically been performed by bacterial counts on solid agar plates. This method has the disadvantage of requiring laboratory facilities, appropriate training and a incubation period of at least 24 hours. ATP based systems are fast but require operator training and instruments. Path-Chek Hygiene Protein is based on the detection of invisible food residues remaining on surfaces when cleaning and sanitising procedures are not effective or have not been performed correctly. The test provides an instant result without the need for laboratory facilities or incubation. Path-Chek Hygiene Protein does not detect bacteria so tests for specific food borne pathogens should always be performed but protein and food residues detected by the test indicate that bacteria may also be present on the surface.