Quick check to see if product is sterile?
Hello all, for production lines there a alot of quick options to check if they are clean/free from micro like ATP or Agar plates.
But is there something to quickly check if a product like sesame seeds is sterile. We roast sesame seeds and each batch we send to the lab for validation. The problem is that this takes up to 5 days. I am hoping there is something like an ATP meter for product so we can quickly check of the product is free from micro.
No, unfortunately not
And even if there was, you wouldn't be able to use it for product release reliably as you wouldn't be able to validate it
Hello all,
For production lines there a alot of quick options to check if they are clean/free from micro like ATP or Agar plates.
But is there something to quickly check if a product like sesame seeds is sterile.
We roast sesame seeds and each batch we send to the lab for validation.
The problem is that this takes up to 5 days.
I am hoping there is something like an ATP meter for product so we can quickly check of the product is free from micro.
Hi Gilles,
As per previous post, afaik there is no rapid method like ATP test for cleanliness.
Answer might depend on what you mean by "quick" ?
Is the decision of (commercial?) "sterility" based on a 2-day measurement of APC @ approx 37degC ? Are there a lot of samples ?
If so, and if you have funding, might consider an in-house micro. installation which could offer 1-2 day result.
Gilles,
This is food. There is no way the product will be sterile, specially if you have it exposed to the environment after processing. There will inevitably be microbes.
Gilles,
This is food. There is no way the product will be sterile, specially if you have it exposed to the environment after processing. There will inevitably be microbes.
You're right but it may just be (dodgy) semantics, eg -
https://nutraceutica...fety-IRD/126960
.
or -
RoastingThe roasting process at 120–140 °C is needed for the development of the typical flavor of cocoa. Using modern technology, cocoas can be roasted at different particle sizes, such as whole beans, or as liquid cocoa mass, which is produced by a fine grinding of cocoa and liquefying within its own fat. The roasting of smaller particles has the advantages of better controlled roasting, partial exhaustion of abundant acetic acid, and reduced roasting time (beans take about 30 min, nibs 12 min, mass 2 min). The type of roasting technique may also influence microbiological aspects. The bacteria present are on the shell and by removing the shell first the material enters the roasting (= sterilization) process with a lower initial bacteria count.
hello, check this sites:
https://www.rapidmic...meration-method
https://www.nissui-p... test dish_.pdf
https://www.charm.co...icrobial-tests/
https://www.sigmaald...ASAAEgIPqvD_BwE
https://www.charm.co.../pathogel-test/
hope this helps!
Leila
The best way is to validate your sterility process and the filling / packaging toe ensure it maintains sterility. Once that's validated then you put in monitoring activities and verify they are working.
I'm used to beverage & milk/dairy. There is sterile milk that can be made, but we never relied on our finished product testing to validate the process. Rather, we relied on process controls and third-party laboratory validation. Or, in our case the FDA was part of our third-party validation. Once the process was validated we had a number of steps in place to monitor and verify.
Another item to consider going forward is any process or equipment changes that happen a review will need to be conducted to determine if they potentially affect the validity of the sterilization process.