5D Health Protection Group Ltd

Microbiology Testing

It is imperative that food and drink is safe from microbiological contamination and biofilms. This is a legal requirement for each stages of the food chain. We offer a wide range of microbiology testing that is specific and relevant to the food and drink industry. Our extensive range of microbiology testing can be found in our scientific services section. Briefly our microbiology testing specific for this industry include pathogen detection and enumerations. The opportunistic pathogens we are able to detect for example include Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria, Shigella and Vibrio. For enumeration we are able to undertake total viable counts, yeast and mould counts, and enumeration of coliforms, E.coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens and the Enterobacteriaceae.

At 5D we have many years of experience in the food and drinks industry and are therefore able to undertake a large number of different tests and develop models that are applicable to these environments. We are also able to undertake microbiology and antibiofilm testing in relation to shelf-life evaluation of products, water testing, environmental monitoring and disinfectant testing. For examples of all the different microbiology, antibiofilm, virus and toxin tests and methods please see our scientific services section.

Pathogen Detection and Enumeration

At 5D we utilise different methods for the quantification and identification of microorganisms which may be encountered in the food and drinks industry. At present we utilise traditional microbiological identification techniques, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation-Time OF Flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR).

The use of MALDI-ToF enables us to identify microorganisms within minutes due to microorganisms producing a unique protein fingerprint. This fingerprint profile is correlated to a database of already identified microbes.

As MALDI-TOF sometimes has limited reproducibility, which can therefore increase variability between laboratories, we routinely employ the use of PCR for the identification of microbes.

The pathogens we are able to detect include Salmonella, Listeria, Shigella and Vibrio amongst others. For enumeration we are able to undertake total viable counts, yeast and mould counts, and enumeration of coliforms, E.coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens, Enterobacteriaceae.

We are also able to offer microbiology testing in relation to shelf-life evaluation of products, water testing, environmental monitoring and disinfectant testing.

Microbiology, Biofilm Detection and Antibiofilm Testing

Microbial contamination and bioburden of food and drink is an important area that requires enumeration and detection. Microbial bioburden testing is an important component for monitoring raw materials, environmental monitoring and control of manufacturing processes, in particular clean rooms and critical control points. The microbial load or bioburden is used to describe the numbers of microorganisms that may be present in a product.

There are many ways that microorganisms may get into a product or a technology particularly during development, from the environment, contaminating raw materials and during manufacturing and packaging products. Biofilms form very easily within the food industry.

One of the concerns of biofilms in the food and drinks industry is that these ecosystems are entities that will house human pathogens and therefore they represent a public health concern. They have the ability to form on stainless steel, polyethylene, glass, wood and rubber which are common materials found in the food industry.

Toxins released by bacteria and fungi will be found in biofilms and these can contaminate food. Biofilms are often located in foods such as water, milk and liquid pipelines, contact surfaces, additives, tubing, packaging materials to name but a few.