Microbial Testing 101 for Compressed Air: Understanding ISO 8573-7
Started by Simon, Nov 29 2018 07:29 PM
Microbial Testing 101 for Compressed Air: Understanding ISO 8573-7
Taking place:
Friday, November 30, 2018 - 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM UK Time
This is a 10.00 AM Eastern US Start
Presenter:
Maria Sandoval, Microbiologist, Trace Analytics LLC
Webinar Overview:
Compressed air and gases are commonly referred to as a manufacturing facility’s Fourth Utility driving the food and beverage industry, but is often overlooked as a source of contamination. International Organization for Standards 8573 (ISO 8573) provides specifications and contaminant categories for compressed air systems, with part 7 focusing on microbial contamination. The focus of this webinar session will be on utilizing ISO8573-7, understanding the science behind it, and interpreting the data results.
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haris vm : hello
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Simon Timperley : Veronica, are you using chrome or firefox. Internet explorer does not work.
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Simon Timperley : Slides and recording will be circulated after the webinar.
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Vickie Lewandowski : those plates look really dried out!
Corey Miller : will this presentation be available to review after the webinar is complete?
Simon Timperley : Yes Corey recording and slides will be circulated later.
Corey Miller : Thank you Simon!
Eb Chiarini : What do you think about collect compressed air through a jar with sterile water, and then analyse the water.
Simon Timperley : Use chrome or firefox, Internet Explorer does not work.
else birk : Firefox works
Michael Hleba : Is Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) the prefered agar for air testing?
Simon Timperley : Francis send an email to team@ifsqn.com and we can discuss
vijay srinivasan narayanasami : font size in slide is very small
Vickie Lewandowski : By looking at the plates every day, is there potential to affect the final count? For example, if there is mold-moving the plate around could dislodge spores, those land elsewhere on the plate and grow as a new colony.
vijay srinivasan narayanasami : what is oem means
haris vm : what is oem means
Jason Knapp : OEM= Originsl Manufacture Equipment
vijay srinivasan narayanasami : thx jason
Jason Knapp : *original
vijay srinivasan narayanasami : what is the pressure need to be used for collecting sample
SHARON ROSE : Good question Eb Chiarini. I am also interested in knowing if bubbling through sterile water can be used as a collection method
vijay srinivasan narayanasami : we used to do the same tech in my lab with sterile water
Dionicio Deocariza : OEM= Original Equipment Manufacturer
Monique Mighty : Hi Monique from Jamaica, do you have any specific equipment you would recommend?
haris vm : we used to do it for our leak dtetector for our bottles
vijay srinivasan narayanasami : what is quantity(ml) of media need for this technique
Scott Griffin : Thhank you very much. Very informative!
Dionicio Deocariza : Connected my Laptop to bigger size smart tv to see small fonts of slides. No Problem.
Vickie Lewandowski : What is the impact on the agar plate the longer you pull the sample, for example 1 minute versus 3 minutes (or 100 L or 1000L)? Does the plate dry out? Should the plate be poured thicker? We know that microbial growth is influenced by available water, so does the water/moisture of the plate impact the count?
Rohit Kumar Swain : What is acceptance limit for cosmetic manufacturing plant?
Jason Knapp : Great Presentation!
Dr. Ahmed El Mesallamy : Thank you
Monique Mighty : How do you prevent the colonies from growing on the edge of the plate?
Leona Lam : I like the presentation, it is informative and helpful.
Dustin Daniels : DOes SQF requirement for air testing have to be complaint with the ISO standard. I cannot find guidance
Lady Bayon : What types of microorganism is recommended for compressed air testing? Aerobic and yeast and Mold a good option? Should we test before and after replacing the filter?
Rani Ravipati : are spice@powders packed under compressed air more good?
Michael Hleba : ty Maria :)
Dionicio Deocariza : Thanks a lot Mam Maria. Great Presentation and very Informative.
Ruby Ochoa : lost sound
Leona Lam : Can we have the powerpoint presentation?
Andrei Cerghet : Thank you Maria, very informative discussion.
Marilyn Abdessater : Is there a specific method for food packaging manufacturerenvironment testing? Such as specific indicator bacteria?
Danielea Lindsay : Is reporting results in cfu/plate acceptable?
Rohit Kumar Swain : Q: If count is more then limit, what can i suggest as a microbiologist to engineering team?
haris vm : can we use the compressed air sampler in connection to conveyer
Annie Vorster : An external laboratory tested our air TMC. result on the report said 640 cfu/plate:acceptable. We dont understand the result as there is no total limit included. We have asked but the lab does not answer our question. Does this make sense.
Pratiwi Isnaeni : is there any minimal standard to take the sample? loke based on large are.. thank you
Hanumanth Reddy : blind test and blank test same ?
Ida Parcon : Is there any limit for mould counts in compressed air?
Michael Hleba : Is there an accepted range for Y/M in compressed air? Is there an international recognized standard?
Claudia Alfonso : what other method besides ISO can be used?
Danielea Lindsay : Is reporting results as 'cfu/plate' acceptable?
Rani Ravipati : can u pls tell me what is the@minimum acceotable level for spice processiors?
ASHFAQ HUSSAIN : Hi, please refer ISO std. for micro load in air bioburden
ASHFAQ HUSSAIN : Hi, please refer ISO std. for micro load in air bioburden
Simone Kummerlöwe : Thanks for the presentation. Good Info
vijay srinivasan narayanasami : why we need to incubate plates for 10 days
vijay srinivasan narayanasami : is there no quick results can we get
Michael Hleba : Maria, what are your thoughts on MERV rating filters for a compressed air system? Same question for microfilters and active charcoal filters on the air compressor/air dryer
Danielea Lindsay : what organisms are cause for concern if grown on the agar plates after sampling?
Mel Morris : Really informative presentation thank you
Mark Smith : Very Informative, Thank you!
haris vm : what is acceptable limit for microbes in compressed air
Sahand Mohsen Pour : for air monitoring in food production company how long will be recommended to leave YGC media or PDA media open to get exposure by air
vijay srinivasan narayanasami : can we expect webinar on personal hygiene
Eb Chiarini : Thanks, very good presentation!
EDAM VIJAY : very good presentation, Thankyou
vijay srinivasan narayanasami : thx maria and simon
Claudia Alfonso : amazing presentation
Erin Hamelback : Great job!
haris vm : thx maria and simon
JOCELYN LEE : Thank you Maria
hanu Reddy : Thanks Simon and Maria
Rohit Kumar Swain : Thanks a lot, well again
1) What is acceptance limit for flavors manufacturing plant? We do compressed air for our drying equipment, where equipment will be used in direct contact with food ingredient/products
2) What is the impact on the agar plate the longer you do the compressed air sampling eg. longer exposure would have more micro count?
3) What is the impact on the agar plate the longer you pull the sample, for example 1 minute versus 3 minutes (or 100 L or 1000L)? Does the plate dry out? Should the plate be poured thicker? We know that microbial growth is influenced by available water, so does the water/moisture of the plate impact the count?
4) Usually what is quantity(ml) of media need for this technique?
5) Do you have any specific equipment you would recommend for compressed air testing for drying equipment in a flavoring manufacturing facility?
6) What does OEM= Original Equipment Manufacturer mean?
8) If i have 3 points of generation, but they all stem from the same source, should i still test all 3 points of generation for compressed air micro standards?
9) How often should i conduct compressed air testing for my drying equipment outlet for a flavors manufacturing facility?
10) By looking at the plates every day, is there potential to affect the final count? For example, if there is mold-moving the plate around could dislodge spores, those land elsewhere on the plate and grow as a new colony.
11) Is Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) the prefered agar for air testing?
1) What is acceptance limit for flavors manufacturing plant? We do compressed air for our drying equipment, where equipment will be used in direct contact with food ingredient/products
Because ISO 8573-7 does not supply specific limits for microbial content in compressed air, each individual facility should perform a risk assessment and determine what limits are acceptable for their product and system.
2) What is the impact on the agar plate the longer you do the compressed air sampling eg. longer exposure would have more micro count?
There is no guarantee that the longer you sample, the more microorganisms will show up on the media. That is a direct measurement of your contamination, not time. The report will always be in CFU/m3 or CFU/1000L if it’s reporting the volume of compressed air and thus extrapolated from the volume sampled.
3) What is the impact on the agar plate the longer you pull the sample, for example 1 minute versus 3 minutes (or 100 L or 1000L)? Does the plate dry out? Should the plate be poured thicker? We know that microbial growth is influenced by available water, so does the water/moisture of the plate impact the count?
According to ISO 8573-7, you should report in CFU/m3, whether or not you sample that much air (1000L) is up to your monitoring plan and your qualified piece of testing equipment. If it can’t be done, you may need to extrapolate. For example, you could take a sample of 100L and then multiply.
We've performed several experiments to determine if the plate could dry out during compressed air sampling. We found that the plate will not dry out during the recommended sampling process, as the original equipment manufacturer of our rental kit (Pinocchio Super II) has validated and qualified. The plate itself does not dry out even if you have a desiccator attached at the point of use or at the storage tank. Once you’ve sampled with an impaction sampler, you’ll see dimpling on your agar plate. If you don’t have dimpling, something went wrong along the way.
The agar plates are designed with the needed nutrients and moisture to grow microorganisms for counting. As long as the appropriate plates are used, they will work fine with appropriate equipment. Equipment being utilized for colony forming enumeration should have documentation for installation qualification, performance qualification and operational qualification (IQ/PQ/OQ).
4) Usually what is quantity(ml) of media need for this technique?
This depends on the size of plate used. At Trace Analytics, we use a 55mm contact plate, with filling volume of 17g +2/-1g.
5) Do you have any specific equipment you would recommend for compressed air testing for drying equipment in a flavoring manufacturing facility?
We recommend the SAS Pinocchio Super II. This impaction sampler is appropriate for ISO 8573-7.
6) What does OEM= Original Equipment Manufacturer mean?
Original equipment manufacturer is the entity that created the equipment in use and the instructions and guidelines that they validated for that particular piece of equipment. Most monitoring plans require that OEM instructions and methods be followed without alteration.
7) What is the estimated pressure need to be used for collecting sample? What if my compressed air outlet is 6-7 bar or exceeds that of the recommended range for the machine's testing?
The Pinocchio Super II is validated for 60psi (No more than 3 bar) and 100 lpm. You can utilize a pressure regulator or additional control value to limit the amount of pressure that reaches your testing equipment if your point of use is higher than the OEM testing equipment recommendation. Higher pressure can damage most compressed air samplers. Lower flow rate means you’ll need to sample for longer in order to achieve 1000 Liters.
8) If i have 3 points of generation, but they all stem from the same source, should i still test all 3 points of generation for compressed air micro standards?
Yes, every piping system can create its own microbial community if allowed to, so it’s very important to monitor the piping system by sampling each point-of-use, even if they come from the same air storage tank.
9) How often should i conduct compressed air testing for my drying equipment outlet for a flavors manufacturing facility?
This depends on your monitoring plan. We recommend conducting a risk assessment to help understand what is right for your facility. SQF and BRC recommend testing your compressed air once per year. Often facilities will test quarterly in order to ensure that maintenance has not affected their systems. Additionally, in order to have a baseline and proper trend analysis, quarterly testing is a great start to building a substantial report of how your facilities compressed air is fairing throughout the year, seasonal changes, personnel changes etc.
10) By looking at the plates every day, is there potential to affect the final count? For example, if there is mold-moving the plate around could dislodge spores, those land elsewhere on the plate and grow as a new colony.
Great question! Each time the plates are checked, they are done so using aseptic technique and handled very carefully by a trained microbiologist. Plates are not opened during daily checks. Colony forming units can be monitored by visual inspection through the petri dish or contact plate. There is rarely a need to open the plate, unless for Gram staining or molecular identification.
PDA is a selective media specifically for the cultivation of fungi (yeast and mold). This is not ideal for total plate count or aerobic plate count because it doesn’t factor in the total bacterial count. If your monitoring plan only requests total fungal count, then this medium can be employed. However, ISO 8573-7 recommends (in an informative section) the use of Sabourand Dextrose Agar (SDA) for fungal cultivation. Non-selective media that will grow bacteria, yeast, and mold that Trace Analytics recommends is Tryptic Soy Agar (TSA). TSA is ideal for total plate count or aerobic plate count. Work with your testing lab to ensure you have the correct agar type for your goals
For more information on microbial testing, you can always reach out to us at Trace Analytics.
Hi Trace Analytics,
Thanks for detailed answers.
I have a couple of comments to replies for Questions 2, 8
No.2 - I agree that the degree of contamination (perhaps more accurately the concentration of plate recoverable microbial species) may vary during the time of sampling,
It's possibly more precise to say that the "contamination" is expressed as an average via cfu/m3.
(haccp would obviously not regard every species as "contamination" from a hazard POV but that is another story)
Can such units be set to automatically shut off after "X" m3 so there is always a uniform absolute reference volume ?
No.8
I think POI (point of Impact) is an alternative, perhaps more meaningful, terminology.
Might also add that one or two Literature publications suggest an empirical correlation between impact and sedimentation data.
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