Peroxyacid antimicrobial composition

An aqueous peroxyacid antimicrobial sanitizing composition consisting essentially of:

• (a) about 10 to 75 parts per million (ppm) of a C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 peroxycarboxylic acid;
• (b) about 1 to 25 ppm of a peroxyacid of the structure R.sub.1 --CO.sub.3 H wherein R, comprises a linear, saturated hydrocarbon chain having about 5 to 17 carbon atoms;
• (c) about 1 to 200 ppm of a hydrotrope coupling agent;
• and
• (d) about 2 to 200 ppm of hydrogen peroxide;
• wherein the aqueous composition has a pH in the range of about 3 to 7.

A process for sanitizing, disinfecting or sterilizing a contaminated surface using a peroxyacid antimicrobial concentrate composition, comprising the steps of:

• (a) diluting in an aqueous liquid said antimicrobial concentrate, thereby forming an aqueous antimicrobial solution, said antimicrobial concentrate consisting essentially of
• (i) about 0.01 to 25 wt-% of a C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 peroxycarboxylic acid;
• (ii) about 0.01 to 10 wt-% of an aliphatic C.sub.6 -C.sub.18 peroxycarboxylic acid;
• wherein said aqueous antimicrobial solution has a pH of about 2 to 8;
• (b) contacting said aqueous antimicrobial solution with said contaminated surface for a period of time effective to sanitize, disinfect, or sterilize said surface.