Microbial Testing 

At Romer Labs, we understand the risks posed by microorganisms to food safety and the significant responsibility food producers and processors have as the primary managers of these risks. Our comprehensive range of microbial testing solutions is designed to empower manufacturers and other participants in the farm-to-fork supply chain to take control of their processes, thereby achieving the highest levels of safety and protecting both consumers and businesses from the damaging consequences of foodborne illnesses.

By providing our customers with reliable microbial testing products, and supporting them with exceptional service, we not only help them produce safer food, but also maintain or even extend the shelf life of their products. With these elements in place, customers can then enjoy the confidence to adopt more innovative practices that enhance the taste and nutrition of their products.

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Process Hygiene

Effective process hygiene is essential for ensuring the safety, shelf-life, and overall quality of food products. Food should be produced, processed, handled, and stored in a manner that minimizes the risk of contamination and the growth of undesired microorganisms. Process hygiene is supported by a wide range of activities, such as sanitizing (cleaning and disinfecting) equipment and other surfaces, treating process water, adhering to time/temperature regimes, and accurately following manufacturing procedures. Assessment of process hygiene is carried out through regular monitoring of products and their environment, typically by testing for indicator or spoilage microorganisms. Although testing for protein traces or other food residues is less reliable in assessing microbial risk, the simplicity and rapidity of such assays secure their place in the monitoring toolkit of food companies.
 

Testing for indicator vs. spoilage microorganisms

Indicator microorganisms serve as a general measure of the microbial status of a food product or its environment. While their presence does not necessarily confirm the presence of specific pathogens, the level of indicator microorganisms can provide risk managers with insight into the overall hygiene level of manufacturing processes and the effectiveness of operational food safety programs. By testing for total counts and/or the number of coliforms and Enterobacteriaceae, which are parameters based on indicator microorganisms, risk managers can better ensure that the manufacturing process is properly controlled. Monitoring programs based on indicator microorganisms aim to assess the sanitary status of processing equipment and environment, verify sanitation, verify process control steps, and assess the risk of post-processing contamination.

Testing for spoilage microorganisms allows manufacturers to be proactive in preventing microbial spoilage instead of reacting to failures after the fact. This is particularly beneficial in addressing facility-specific spoilage microorganisms that are often better adapted to the production controls specific to the facility, or when spoilage occurs sporadically. The selective pressure exerted by factors such as high temperatures or sanitizers can lead to environmental harborage of problematic spoilage microorganisms. Total counts and numbers of yeasts, molds, and lactic acid bacteria are most commonly included in monitoring programs based on spoilage microorganisms.

Impedance Flow Cytometry - CytoQuant®

CytoQuant® is an impedance flow cytometer that empowers risk-based decision-making and facilitates proactive interventions. In just 30 seconds, it delivers precise total viable counts directly at the production site, enabling swift, on-the-spot microbial assessments for unparalleled process control.

By delivering direct, real-time microbial counts at critical control points, CytoQuant® transforms traditional monitoring with unmatched precision and efficiency. This point-of-need technology offers immediate insights into total contamination levels, enabling early detection of any deviations from acceptable microbiological criteria. As a result, interventions can be swiftly implemented to maintain strict process control and uphold safety and quality.

Dip/Contact-Slides - HygieneChek™ Plus

The HygieneChek™ PLUS product line includes dip/contact-slides designed for the monitoring of microbial contamination in the food chain, as well as other sectors that require the control of microorganisms. These ready-to-use agar-based testing devices are recommended for the monitoring of operational food safety programs as well as overall manufacturing hygiene.

The range of agar types covers the determination of both indicator (e.g., total counts, coliforms, Enterobacteriaceae) and spoilage (e.g., total counts, yeasts and molds, lactic acid bacteria) microorganisms. Testing can be carried out regardless of access to a microbiological laboratory and requires little expertise to execute.

LFD Strips - RapidChek™ Total Protein

The RapidChek® Total Protein test is a colorimetric assay designed to screen production and processing surfaces for protein residue. The test is designed to help sanitation crews verify cleaning processes. It takes only 30 seconds and requires no additional equipment. Only the swab-pad comes into contact with the tested surface, so no clean-up after sampling is necessary.

Protein assays are a practical and cost-effective way to monitor cleaning and serve as an efficient complement to microbiological methods.

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Pathogens and Toxins

Food producers and processors engage in regular testing for pathogens and toxins in their raw materials and products to ensure the proper functioning of their food safety management systems. They also conduct environmental monitoring to identify and eliminate sources of foodborne pathogens in the facility. This helps to reduce the risk of food contamination and its consequences, ranging from product recalls to outbreaks.

Environmental pathogen monitoring is considered a proactive approach to microbial food safety, as it can identify potential sources of pathogens before they cause contamination in products. These programs are particularly useful because finished product testing alone is not a reliable method of ensuring food safety, as the occurrence of foodborne pathogen contamination in finished products is typically rare.
 

Process Control Testing

Basic environmental pathogen monitoring programs serve as tools to verify pathogen control strategies or to trace product contamination events and usually involve the testing of high-risk areas, such as food contact surfaces. Risk managers often implement advanced monitoring programs that are based on process control testing. These inform preventive control measures, such as seek and destroy programs, that further limit contamination events from the environment. Process control testing is aimed at early warning sites, where presence of a pathogen can be identified before it reaches food contact surfaces or the product. Positive results at an early warning site have no regulatory compliance implications, as the presence of a pathogen does not necessarily indicate a systematic failure of the food safety system. However, they should suggest caution and stringent follow-up testing. Process control testing frequently involves the determination of so-called index microorganisms (e.g., Listeria spp., Staphylococcus spp.), as methods for specific pathogens include extensive confirmation steps.

LFD - RapidChek® Pathogen Test Kits

Romer Labs offers validated food pathogen detection solutions for E.coli, Salmonella, Listeria and Campylobacter in a user-friendly, rapid, accurate and cost-effective format.

The test kits utilize highly selective enrichment media coupled with an advanced lateral flow immunochemical device and a proprietary antibody mix.

Dip/Contact-Slides - HygieneChek™ Plus

The HygieneChek™ PLUS product line includes dip/contact-slides designed for the monitoring of microbial contamination in the food chain, as well as other sectors that require the control of microorganisms. These ready-to-use agar-based testing devices are recommended for the monitoring of operational food safety programs as well as overall manufacturing hygiene.

The range of agar types covers the determination of both indicator (e.g., total counts, coliforms, Enterobacteriaceae) and spoilage (e.g., total counts, yeasts and molds, lactic acid bacteria) microorganisms. Testing can be carried out regardless of access to a microbiological laboratory and requires little expertise to execute.

ELISA - AgraQuant® Histamine Test Kits

The AgraQuant® Histamine test kits are accurate and reliable enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) in a quantitative format. These test kits have been validated for the analysis of histamine in fresh fish, fish meal, cheese, sausage, milk, wine and champagne.

The AgraQuant® Histamine Rapid test kits have been specifically developed for the detection of histamine in fresh, canned and salted fish, as well as in fish meal and fish in oil. The workflow of these test kit has been optimized for fish samples and allows for a much faster assay procedure.

Both test kits are competitive ELISAs in a ready-to-use format to reduce handling errors and come with a set of 8 standards, a histamine coated plate, an acylation reagent, an acylation buffer, a wash buffer, a histamine antiserum conjugate, a substrate and a stop solution.

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Microbial Sampling

Sampling is critical for accurate results. Failure to sample correctly, or to understand the variability associated with sampling, may invalidate the overall test result and lead to a faulty conclusion. Sampling is the most important source of errors in microbial testing, as microorganisms tend to spread unevenly in their environments. This is even more so in the case of surfaces, with most sampling devices being able to recover only a small fraction of the microbial population that is targeted. Choosing adequate sampling materials and applying the correct technique will allow for reliable results.
 

Collection of Samples from Surfaces

While there is no universally accepted protocol for sampling, there are a variety of methods commonly used as well as standards wtih general requirements (e.g. ISO 18593). Common methods for sample collection involve the use of various devices such as swabs, sponges, or cloths. Wet-dry swabbing is a well-established method for the collection of environmental surface samples and is widely used in food production and processing facilities to detect pathogens or to monitor sanitation or other operational programs. Swabbing is also a non-destructive method employed to sample mammalian carcasses in the meat sector.

Sampling devices for Food Processing Areas

The SurfACE™ product line includes ready-to-use dry and pre-moistened sterile cellulose sponges and fabric swabs that fully comply with ISO 18593:2018 and ISO 17604:2015. They eliminate the costly and time-consuming steps of diluent preparation, sterilization, and moistening of sampling devices. They are designed to make it more convenient to sample microorganisms from surfaces in food processing facilities and industrial settings. The use of different pre-moistening solutions enables a broad range of environmental and product (carcass) sampling applications, both during production and after sanitation.

Sampling devices for Primary Production Areas

Romer Labs provides a broad range of sampling solutions covering livestock farming applications. Ready-to-use dry and pre-moistened sterile boot cover swabs, drag swabs and fabric swabs are available to be used for the monitoring of Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp. contamination in livestock shelters. The products are in line with the requirements laid down by regulatory (e.g., United States Department of Agriculture, European Commission), standardization or trade bodies.

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