5 replies to this topic

[rbradley]

I just monitored the air in our dry mix plant for the first time using pour/petri plates which were analyzed for APC. I'm not sure this was the best method or how to interpret the results. There doesn't seem to be any info on what would be considered acceptable results . I realize this may vary from plant to plant, but if someone in a similar manufacturing environment with lots of data would be willing to share what range they have found to be typical I would very much appreciate the info. I've tested our zones 2-4 for Salmonella, E. Coli, and Listeria and everything has been negative. 

[GMO]

My plant isn't similar to yours but negative has got to be good.  I assume you set these up as settle plates?  What was the exposure time? 

 

If you use a contract lab or supply a retailer, they may be able to help you with some appropriate limits.
 

[rbradley]

Hi GMO!

 

We did use settle plates and set them out for 20 minutes. I have contacted our contracted lab for info and I'm waiting to hear back from them.

 

Thanks for replying!

[MsMars]

I have done similar in the past with Petrifilm for APC and yeast/mold in a poultry processing environment (very wet/humid), not similar to yours but would maybe expect to see greater numbers than a drier environment.  Typically would see negative APC, we would occasionally see some yeast/mold pop up if the ventilation system needed to be cleaned.  

[Charles.C]

I just monitored the air in our dry mix plant for the first time using pour/petri plates which were analyzed for APC. I'm not sure this was the best method or how to interpret the results. There doesn't seem to be any info on what would be considered acceptable results . I realize this may vary from plant to plant, but if someone in a similar manufacturing environment with lots of data would be willing to share what range they have found to be typical I would very much appreciate the info. I've tested our zones 2-4 for Salmonella, E. Coli, and Listeria and everything has been negative. 

 

Hi rbradley,

 

Is yr query related to any particular FS Standard, eg SQF ?

 

Afaik it is relatively uncommon to evaluate food plant air quality for the micro. items you mention. APC, yeast and mould are more typical, often via settle plates / using standardized sampling protocols.

 

There are several discussions on plant air "quality" here but often overlapped within compressed air threads.

 

Can try the post/excel compilation / attached files sh1, sh6 etc in this link -

 

http://www.ifsqn.com...ent/#entry81054

 

 

PS - also see file cpc2 in this post -

 

http://www.ifsqn.com...ion/#entry64124

[sqflady]

I would suggest that you gather several months of data to establish a baseline and from there you can determine what is an acceptable level for your plant.