Microbiological contamination sources

Drinking water suppHed to carbonated soft drink manufacturing faciUties from private or municipal sources must comply with all regulatory requirements. Treated water must meet all U.S. Environmental Protection Agency primary maximum contaminant levels and may also be subject to additional state requirements. Treated water is routinely analyzed for taste, odor, appearance, chlorine, alkalinity, iron, pH, total dissolved soHds, hardness, and microbiological contamination. 

The coatings and additives utilised during paper processing are also a significant source of microbiological contamination. The types that are frequently used are ... 

Many changes have occurred over the last 20 years within the European paper making industry. Most systems have now changed from acidic processing to alkaline and the majority have closed up their processing, i.e. the water is now recycled within the plant and not discharged. Hence microbiological contamination have shifted in favour of bacterial strains (due to alkaline conditions) and also increased due to continuous re-introduction of these species and food sources back into the process. 

Salmonella and Listeria are a source of numerous food borne illness. As a result, a lot of attention has been focused on these microorganisms. The effort in the Salmonella area focused on obtaining antibodies which can detect several serotypes (14-16, 61,64, 90) and shortening the assay time from 3-4 days to 1-2 days by use of more sensitive formats and enrichment protocols (74, 75, 91,92). Numerous immunoassay kits for Salmonella were developed, such as the Salmonella-Tek (74, 75), Tecra Salmonella (93) and Bio-Enza Bead (94), to name a few. More information on kits is given in section 2.9. Additional information is available for Salmonella, Listeria and other microbiological contaminants and toxins (see Table 1) in review articles and books (5, 7,11-13, 88,95-99). 

A decade later, the Black Sea ecosystem continues to be threatened by different chemical pollutants, mainly by nutrients that enter the Black Sea through rivers from land based sources. The Danube River accounts for about a half of the nutrient input to the Black Sea. As a result eutrophication occurs over wide areas of the Black Sea, in particular, in its northwestern part. Inputs of microbiological contaminants with insufficiently treated sewage result in a potential threat to public health as tourism continues to develop in the coastal zone. Satellite SAR imagery and related statistics of oil spills show... 

Cleaning and Sanitizing Transfer Lines Pipes should be hard, easily cleaned, and sanitized. To avoid moisture collection and microbiological contamination, hoses should be stored in a way that allows them to drain rather than be looped. For example, transfer lines are an important source of contamination when flexible hoses are handled by operators, lying on the floor, and after they are placed in transfer or batching tanks [6],... 

Water and Drainage. Water is a potential source of microbiological contamination that cannot be excluded from aseptic manufacture. Its control becomes complicated by the variety of purposes for which it may be used and the various types of distribution system that may be encountered. Identifiable potential sources of contamination from water in aseptic manufacturing facilities include (a) ingredient water for sterile products, (b) water supplies for equipment and component cleaning, (c) water supplies to laundries, (d) water supplies for hand washing, and (e) steam supplies to autoclaves. 

At any moment all of the water in an aseptic manufacturing facility must be in the product, in the distribution system, or passing through the drains. Serious measures must be taken lo ensure that drainage systems do not become sources of microbiological contamination and proliferation. 

Validation of disinfectants should be concentrated on two aspects of their potential to create problems in aseptic manufacture. First, they may themselves be sources of microbiological contamination second, they may not be effective against microbial contaminants. 

Figure 13.1 Schematic of the brewing process. Potential sources of microbiological contamination are indicated by (Vaughan, O Sullivan, van Sinderen, 2005).

Hygienic handling means that contact of the medicine with sources of microbiological contamination are minimised. 

The apparatus, tubing or the filling process should not be a source of microbiological contamination. 

The operator remains a source of microbiological contamination, nonetheless, and so aseptic technique is important to protect the product [16]. The principle is to avoid direct contact between the operator and the product (non-touch technique) and hence it is essential to have suitably trained operators whose competency is regularly assessed and who are appropriately supervised. 

The main source of microbiological contamination is usually the make-up water from the water source (lakes, rivers, wells, ocean, etc). Another source of contamination is an atmosphere. Many microorganisms are removed from air when it is washed with water in the cooling tower. 

The manufacturing plant. The manufacturing plant itself is often one of the main sources of microbiological contamination and this can arise from a number of points. 

Pipelines and hoses. Linked to the previous item is the undoubted fact that it is not at all uncommon for the plant to have excessively long and complicated runs of transfer pipelines with sharp bends and deadspots. This allows the accumulation of materials, water and product often diluted with wash water. Microbiological contamination of the then dilute dispersion can occur rapidly in such pipelines, which can easily become a source of inoculum for fresh product that is pumped through the system. Furthermore, flexible hoses used for transfer of product can, if improperly cleaned and stored, also become contaminated, again especially if diluted product, resulting from ineffective cleaning, accumulates. 

The above-mentioned microbiological degree of influence must also be considered in its completeness and can vary from product to product. A product physically protected against contamination generally requires less preservation, than one exposed to a wide range of potential contamination sources during use, such as the large surface area of a repeated-use container. 

---