*2.7. Bacterial Recovery/Sampling*

Samples were taken from each of the ten compartments of each transportation coop after 30 min of drying time. The samples were collected using a sterile 5 by 5 cm gauze pad which was pre-soaked with 5 mL of buffered peptone water and stored in a 4 oz WHIRL-PAK® bag (NASCO, Fort Atkinson, WI, USA). A 5 by 5 cm stainless steel template was soaked in 100% ethanol and flame sterilized between samples. To avoid sampling overlap, all pre-treatment samples were taken from the left side of each compartment, and all post-treatment samples were taken from the right.
