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Environmental Monitoring testing in-house (Salmonella specific)

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danh@nutmegspice

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Posted 10 October 2019 - 01:06 PM

I work for a spice repackager, we are currently bottling already blended/processed herbs, spices and blends into smaller bottles. Looking into doing our own environmental monitoring in house to save on lab costs, we are currently only testing for salmonella as we are a dry manufacturing plant and do not need to worry so much about Lysteria. What are the steps to doing lab testing in house? Aside from equipment, what else is needed?

 

Thanks



pHruit

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Posted 10 October 2019 - 01:47 PM

If you're testing pathogens then segregation is going to be a major consideration - I wouldn't want to take this type of testing on in-house unless I had a very large site so that I could (a) put the lab a long way from production, and (b) have enough production/throughput to justify the cost of building and running it.

I really do think you'd need to be analysing quite large numbers of samples to justify creating a lab for this. We have some extremely large customers who don't bother doing these types of tests internally at most sites - they are either sent to external labs, or they have central group labs set up in separate buildings, with full ISO17025 accreditation in place.

Aside from the equipment you'll need someone sufficiently qualified to be able to use it, suitable methods, method validation etc.

I wouldn't expect this to be a cost saving unless the sample volumes are quite significant, and for a bit of environmental monitoring that doesn't sound too likely?


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SpiceyQA

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Posted 10 October 2019 - 03:02 PM

As a spice company I also test for E. coli as it can be inserted by poor worker hygiene. We use a 3rd party lab as creating an accredited lab would not be cost effective for us.



Njaquino

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Posted 10 October 2019 - 05:13 PM

I also work for a spice manufacturing. I send to an accredited lab, again it is not cost effective to have one in-house and to have pathogenic sources. Plus, you would need someone to run the test. 

 

We do Salmonella only. 



zanorias

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Posted 10 October 2019 - 08:15 PM

If costs are feasible (questionable) check specific requirements as per scheme or regulatory requirements applicable to you. I.e. BRC does actually allow on-site testing but only under strict conditions (5.6.2.1). 



Charles.C

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Posted 11 October 2019 - 02:31 AM

I work for a spice repackager, we are currently bottling already blended/processed herbs, spices and blends into smaller bottles. Looking into doing our own environmental monitoring in house to save on lab costs, we are currently only testing for salmonella as we are a dry manufacturing plant and do not need to worry so much about Lysteria. What are the steps to doing lab testing in house? Aside from equipment, what else is needed?

 

Thanks

 

I assume you are currently swabbing then sending swab to an external lab. Or sub-contracting the "whole" operation including sampling.

 

The cost obviously also relates to the required frequency/number of samples.

 

Have you considered the "middle" way, ie using test kits ?

 

eg -

 

https://www.ifsqn.co...-micro-testing/


Kind Regards,

 

Charles.C


Jain

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Posted 11 October 2019 - 04:01 PM

I assume you are currently swabbing then sending swab to an external lab. Or sub-contracting the "whole" operation including sampling.

 

The cost obviously also relates to the required frequency/number of samples.

 

Have you considered the "middle" way, ie using test kits ?

 

eg -

 

https://www.ifsqn.co...-micro-testing/

 

If you are thinking in line of getting fast results at low cost, and using swabs, look up possibility of using Hygiena's  Microsnap for E.coli and InSite for Salmonella.



Charles.C

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Posted 12 October 2019 - 01:48 AM

If you are thinking in line of getting fast results at low cost, and using swabs, look up possibility of using Hygiena's  Microsnap for E.coli and InSite for Salmonella.

 

Thks but I was unable to find any Hygiena "rapid" test kits (eg <12 hours) for Salmonella. Pls give a direct URL.


Kind Regards,

 

Charles.C


Jain

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Posted 12 October 2019 - 07:53 PM

Thks but I was unable to find any Hygiena "rapid" test kits (eg <12 hours) for Salmonella. Pls give a direct URL.

 

Link for E.coli rapid test is

https://www.hygiena....d-beverage.html

 

Link for environmental salmonella rapid test is

https://www.hygiena....d-beverage.html



Charles.C

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Posted 13 October 2019 - 08:54 PM

Link for E.coli rapid test is

https://www.hygiena....d-beverage.html

 

Link for environmental salmonella rapid test is

https://www.hygiena....d-beverage.html

 

Thks but if you read the Salmonella Link, it does not answer my query.


Kind Regards,

 

Charles.C


Jain

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Posted 13 October 2019 - 09:37 PM

Thks but if you read the Salmonella Link, it does not answer my query.

 

The swabbing method to detect Salmonella is intended more as a simpler tool. I do agree the result still takes between 24 and 48 hours and not <12 hours what you were looking for. Having said that, the result are known immediately to the Quality Unit, and in case of a indicative positive result, it probably helps in taking immediate corrective actions.



Charles.C

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Posted 14 October 2019 - 03:16 AM

The swabbing method to detect Salmonella is intended more as a simpler tool. I do agree the result still takes between 24 and 48 hours and not <12 hours what you were looking for. Having said that, the result are known immediately to the Quality Unit, and in case of a indicative positive result, it probably helps in taking immediate corrective actions.

                             (SLIGHTLY OFF-TOPIC)

Thks.

 

Yes, offhand, looks like  "next-day"  detection for Salmonella is a typical target for various ,commercial, validated, kits although substantially faster claims do exist (eg see sys-1 below).

 

FSIS  list the (enormous) number of pathogen etc detection systems now (independently validated) available (see sys-2) but regretfully include no individual target time factors like in the nice table in the Oxoid brochure (see sys-3).

 

Attached File  sys-1.pdf   418.06KB   13 downloads

Attached File  sys-2.pdf   462.52KB   8 downloads

Attached File  sys-3.pdf   3.32MB   80 downloads

 

PS - @danh - the kits being discussed may yield a fast(er) time for EMPG application since relatively low background interference


Kind Regards,

 

Charles.C




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