Hi Guys,
Im actually out of ideas and need your help.
in short, i work for a company that produces soya milk in pp bottle. one day, we received a complaint from our exporting customer that there are a 4 bottles found spoilt. upon checking, there is no weak seal at the sealing area of the bottle opening. we conducted separate micro testing for two bottles and its result is puzzling me.
first result: the external lab identify the micro growth as Acinetobacter lwoffi.
second result: the external lab identify the micro growth as Staphylococcus Warneri
i cannot understand how did the contamination occur. the bottles undergo retort process. however, i am unable to find out more details on this two species of bacteria as the sources on the internet is not much. the production date on the 4 spoilt bottles is not the same.
anyone here has any idea what this two strains come about?
Some background info from Wikipedia & a couple of other sites:
Pseudomonadales
The Pseudomonadales are an order of Proteobacteria. A few members are opportunistic pathogens, such as species of Pseudomonas, Moraxella, and Acinetobacter, which may cause pneumonia.
AcinetobacterThe genus Acinetobacter is a group of Gram-negative, non-motile and non-fermentative bacteria belonging to the family Moraxellaceae. They are important soil organisms where they contribute to the mineralisation of, for example, aromatic compounds. Acinetobacter are able to survive on various surfaces (both moist and dry) in the hospital environment, thereby being an important source of infection in debilitated patients.
Acinetobacter lwoffii (Acinetobacter calcoaceticus biotype lwoffii)
An aerobic gram-negative bacillus widely distributed in nature (soil, sewage, and water) and in the hospital environment. It is able to survive on both moist and dry surfaces and may be part of the normal flora of humans. Causes hospital-acquired respiratory, urinary tract, wound infections, abscesses, and meningitis in debilitated humans.
Staphylococcus warneriStaphylococcus warneri is a member of the bacterial genus Staphylococcus, consisting of Gram-positive bacteria with spherical cells appearing in clusters. It is coagulase-negative and is a common commensal organism found as part of the skin flora on humans and animals. Like other coagulase-negative staphylococci, S. warneri rarely causes disease, but may occasionally cause infection in patients whose immune system is compromised.
It is possible that some past reports of serious infection with S. warneri may in fact represent misidentification of S. lugdunensis.
Staphylococcus warneri Septicemia in Preterm NeonatesAs Acinetobacter is gram negative this would suggest post heat treatment contamination. Cooling water is a favourite for this but air is possible as well. I have seen similar problems due to an occasional seal that appears to be good but has a small defect.
Are you able to closely inspect the sealing area of the products in question?
Do you regularly do vacuum tests on the product seals?
Regards,
Tony