Plant environmental testing no longer calls for preparing neutralizingdiluents, filling racks of test tubes, and pipetting and plating the samples.3M™ Quick Swab, the new ready-to-useenvironmental swab system from 3M,makes the task easier, more efficient,accurate and less expensive.

The 3M Quick Swab system consists of a five-inch long rayon-tipped swabthat, used wet or dry, deliversapproximately 1.0 mL of sampledirectly onto a 3M™ Petrifilm™ Plate or3M™ Redigel™ Test. The swab containsletheen neutralizing buffer to facilitatethe recovery of bacteria. Letheen brothis more accurate than standard diluentsbecause it neutralizes halogens,quaternary ammonium, acid sanitizersand other residual sanitizers remainingon surfaces after cleaning. 3M’scustomer interviews indicated thatquality assurance personnel wanted amore efficient environmental testingsystem that was accurate, easy to use,moderately priced, and available in anall-in-one format. “Based on that input, I believe we created the most efficient,cost-effective and economical method

for environmental swabtesting available today,” said Kevin Habas, marketdevelopment manager,3M Microbiology.“When you consider that the adenosinetriphosphate (ATP)swabs cost around $2.50per test, the materialexpense alone adds upquickly,” he continued.“At approximately $1 pertest, the 3M Quick Swabmethod costs significantlyless. And that’s not evenconsidering the substantiallabor savings this product offers.Traditional methods of preparingenvironmental samples require asignificant amount of labor time.”

The 3M Quick Swab saves labor byeliminating the need to haul racks of testtubes into a plant, prepare neutralizingdiluents or use a pipette to add thesample to a plate or test. The streamlinedtesting procedure is not only moreefficient, it also provides more consistentresults from technician to technician.

Companies interested in furtherautomating the informationmanagement component ofenvironmental swab results may findinterest in the Petrifilm InformationManagement System (PIMS).By utilizing the bar code system,3M Quick Swabs can be labeled withbar codes and test results stored digitally.This can facilitate the transformation of environmental swab program datainto usable information.

Volume I 2000 Published by 3M Microbiology Products

New 3M™ Quick Swab Product Streamlines Plant Environmental Testing

Now 3M Microbiology customers in the U.S. have another convenient

way to process and track their orderswith 3M’s new InfoMyWay On-lineOrdering System:

This new Internet based system is a secure way for customers to enterorders and have access to their order

status 24 hours a day, seven days aweek. “We’re really excited about thisnew capability because it provides onemore level of service to our customers,”said Marie Meysembourg, customer service supervisor, 3M Microbiology. “Not only can you obtain orderinginformation faster, you also haveaccess to more comprehensive, up-to-the-minute information.”

The ordering system provides real-timeconfirmation of product availability aswell as real-time ordering—anyPetrifilm plate order entered on-lineprior to 12:00PM CST is shipped thatafternoon if desired. A user profile isalso set up and stored so importantinformation, such as credit and shippinginformation, doesn’t need to bere-entered each time an order is placed.

https://infomyway.3M.com

Continued on back

Point, Click and Order On-line

3M MicroMessenger2

News From Around The World

Bonduelle’s Central Laboratory at Estrées Incorporates 3M™ Petrifilm™ Plates into its Working Hours Management SchemeIn 1997, Bonduelle decided to implementthe “de Robien law,” thereby reducingworking hours to a 35-hour week. This constituted a real challenge for acompany that operates by “vegetableseasons” and whose production linesonly reach a peak for four months a year. The solution was based on anannual breakdown of working hours.The workforce employed at the Estréesplant rose from 700 to 800 full-timeemployees and the organization wasrestructured from top to bottom.

The central laboratory was alsoreorganized in 1997. “We have expandedour permanent staff and have also becomemore versatile. Previously, there was onesector for chemistry, one for physics andone for microbiology. Now each sectorcan carry out any type of test,” explainsValérie Ridrimont, who manages thelaboratory. “Alongside this, we havechanged some rules such as ‘releasing’:no product leaves the factory until it

has been given the all-clear formicrobiological safety. This meansobtaining rapid responses throughout the production period and workingshifts: we have extended our workinghours from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. (instead of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.).”

A new line was opened at the Estréesplant in 1997, increasing the number of products to be tested. The number ofsamples tested by the lab each year rosefrom 7,500 to 9,500, or over 50,000microbiological tests used to assay total

flora, coliforms, E. coli, etc. “We had to find a method ofsaving time on thetests. The time takenby a person to weighup and prepare themedium and carryout the sterilizationprocedures wasinefficient. Westarted performingtests using Petrifilmplates, beforemaking a completeconversion to them in 1998,” explainsRidrimont.

The introduction ofPetrifilm plates has led to anumber of benefits. Thelaboratory can manage anincreased number of samples. Thetime saved by the staff has been used to set up a pathogeniclaboratory (assays for Listeria andSalmonella), an activity that waspreviously contracted out at considerablecost. This time saved has also been usedfor preventive work: environmentalprotection, training and theimplementation of HACCP in the factory.

“Petrifilm plates offer the benefit of ease of use for seasonal personnel, those only working here for six months a year. The results are easy to interpretand people are not hesitant about usingit,” comments Ridrimont.

“We also have gained a lot byintroducing Petrifilm plates: effectivelytime has increased by 40 percent, a

saving of over 1000 hours each year. An assistant who used to perform 24samples in eight hours can now carry out 32 samples using Petrifilm platesduring the same period,” said Ridrimont.

All of these benefits have been achievedwith a stable overall budget in relation to the number of tests performed. In the Bonduelle group, three productionfacilities for fresh and frozen vegetablesnow use Petrifilm plates. “It is importantto use the same processes in each of ourlaboratories in order to ensure consistentquality of analysis,” concludes Valérie Ridrimont.

“The results are easy tointerpret and people are not hesitant about using it”

3M MicroMessenger 3

Environmental Testing Methods in Your PlantBy: SuzanneTortorelli

Food Safety/Microbiology Department.Campbell SoupCompany

Almost every day you can read about a food or beverage recall or a spoilageincident that sickened someonesomewhere around the globe. Aninvestigation of each incident will revealthat, when the cause is identified, themajority of those recalls or outbreakswere the result of some insanitarypractice or a failure to follow goodmanufacturing practices (GMPs)—whether in the home, the grocery storeor the factory.

Industry and the regulatory agencies inthe United States have embraced HACCP(Hazard Analytical Critical ControlPoints) as the best way to control thesafety of foods. However, without thebasics of GMPs and sanitation, even a well-designed HACCP program can fail to ensure safety.

HACCP plans are designed to addressknown hazards through the identificationof intervention steps (Critical ControlPoints or CCPs). Critical limits (e.g.,temperature or time) are associated witheach CCP, and corrective actions areidentified if ongoing monitoring revealsa critical limit has not been achieved.However, unlike HACCP plans, theeffectiveness of sanitation programs arenot routinely monitored or verified.

Working closely with vendors ofcleaning and sanitizing chemicals andequipment can increase the success of a sanitation program. Suppliers of theseservices can provide specific directionsfor cleaning and sanitizing equipmentand are best prepared to deal with almostany type of food debris. Processing plantstaff should then verify the efficacy ofcleaning and sanitizing procedures oncethey are established or again after anysignificant changes are made.

Visual examination of equipment andreview of data from microbiologicalanalysis of finished product can assist in assessing and monitoring overallcleanliness of the processing system.However, cleaning efficacy can best be demonstrated through microbial and bioluminescent swabbing done after cleaning to detect food debris andmicroorganisms that may contaminateequipment surfaces.

Bioluminescence (which detects theamount of Adenosine Triphosphate, or ATP present) can be used to measure the amount of organic materialcontaminating a surface. In generalterms, it is a measurement of filth. Onedisadvantage to this technique is that it does not easily distinguish betweenmicrobial, human and plant ATP.However, bioluminescence delivers real-time results within seconds aftertesting the sample site, so sanitationworkers can immediately react to andcorrect a potential unsanitary condition.

Environmental microbial monitoring can be conducted in a multitude of waysincluding sponges, swabs, agar contactplates, rinse water, and air sampling.Sponges and swabs are generally used to sample the surface of a piece ofequipment or other facility structure(e.g., walls, drains). The sample is thenplated on a bacterial growth medium and evaluated. Either selective or non-selective growth medium can be used depending upon themicroorganism(s) under assessmentdetection. Pathogen control programsutilize selective media that will identifyspecific pathogens of concern for aparticular process, such as Salmonellaspp. or Listeria monocytogenes in ameat processing plant.

The agar contact plate method can alsobe performed using either selective ornon-selective media. Rodac plates andrehydrated 3MTM PetrifilmTM plates aretwo examples of the contact platemethod. In both cases, the surface of thesterile media is placed directly on the

test site. Organisms are transferred to the media and easily enumerated.This technique is most effective onsmooth, nonporous surfaces that are not heavily contaminated.

Evaluation of rinse water after cleaningand sanitizing can be used to test thecleanliness of processing equipment.Soft drink manufacturers utilize thistesting protocol to assess the sanitarycondition of their fillers prior to start-upof manufacturing. Rinse water testing is also used on product surfaces, such as poultry and beef carcasses.

Air sampling is a technique used toassess the sanitary condition of theenvironment and the air handlingsystems. Airborne contaminants play a big role in reducing the shelf life of several perishable food items such as bread and milk. There are severaldifferent air sampling devices andmethods, including impingement on solid surfaces, filtration, andsedimentation. The easiest methodsinvolve opening a prepoured agar plateor rehydrated Petrifilm plate to allowexposure to the air (environment) for a specific period of time. Once again, the type of bacterial growth mediumchosen will depend upon the organism(s)being tested for.

Campbell Soup Company has, for manyyears, embraced HACCP as an essentialelement in its arsenal of programs(which includes SSOPs and GMPs)designed to control and/or eliminatespoilage and the hazards associated with foodborne pathogens. Many of thetechniques mentioned above are used to assess the efficacy of these programsto insure the production of safe,wholesome, high-quality food products.

To order 3M Microbiology products in the U.S., call 1-800-328-1671.Latin America/Africa and Asia Pacific regions, call 651-733-7562.

3Microbiology Products

3M Center, Building 275-5W-05St. Paul, MN 55144-1000 USA1 800 228-3957www.3M.com/microbiologyE-mail: microbiology@3M.com

3M Canada Inc.

Post Office Box 5757London, Ontario N6A 4T1Canada1 800 364-3577

3M Europe

Laboratoires 3M SantéBoulevard de l’OiseF-95029 Cergy-Pontoise CedexFrance33 130 31-8571

40% Pre-consumer waste paper10% Post-consumer waste paper

Printed in U.S.A.Copyright © 3M (IPC) 2000.All rights reserved.70-2009-3118-9 (301) DPI

Taking Care of Your Electronic PipettorDid you know that the number one cause for 3MTM

Electronic Pipettor repair is improper cleaning?Here are some simple care tips to help avoidunnecessary repairs and keep your 3M ElectronicPipettor operating smoothly:

• Be sure to clean the tip cone of your pipettor weekly.This small step can make a bigdifference in the performance of your pipettor! Simply remove the red collar and use a soft, lint-freewipe moistened with ethanol togently clean the tip cone.

• Use only the piston grease recommended by 3M.Apply a thin layer of the grease to the piston seal. Using grease that is too heavy may impede the piston movement and strain the internal drivecomponent. Grease that’s too thin may result in leaks or unstable pistonmovements, affecting accuracy and precision.

• Replace the filter if it has become clogged or contaminated.Be sure to clean the outer and inner surface of the steel tip with a swab moistened with ethanol when replacing the filter.

• Remember to replace your batteries when necessary.

If you would like more information about the care of your 3M Electronic Pipettor, please call us at 1-800-328-1671 or e-mail us at: microbiology@3M.com

Please Note: Our U.S. Customer Service Fax number has changed to 1-800-972-9307 or 651-737-9548.

Continued from page 1

“Ordering on-line is really simpleto do, and we’re there to provideassistance,” adds Meysembourg.“When you place your first on-line order, a customer service repand InfoMyWay support personwill be on the phone to walk youthrough the steps.” Once the orderis submitted, it appears within 60 seconds in 3M’s order entrysystem. The system allowscustomers to track the progress of their orders as well as accessthe history on all orders they’veplaced at any time.

Getting Started• Try out the demo

Log on to our website athttps://infomyway.3M.com. It will walk you through thesteps and features of on-lineordering to help you determine if it’s right for you.

• Give us a call

Just call 3M Customer Service at 1-800-328-1671 with yourcontact information and we’ll set up your on-line account.

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