Frequently asked questions about Monitoring
Which parameters should the hands of personnel be tested for?
The examination of the total germ count from hand swabs is not a suitable parameter for assessing the hygiene status, even after cleaning and disinfection, because the natural skin flora is not removed by hygienic hand…
Why are environmental investigations necessary?
Environmental investigations help to assess the internal hygiene status. They allow hazards to be recognized and preventive measures to be initiated for the production of hygienically impeccable food. The obligation for…
What is included in Listeria monitoring?
The examination for L. monocytogenes must be carried out both on equipment with food contact and in production areas without direct contact. Particularly hard-to-reach areas, porous, uneven materials, water…
What is Listeria monitoring?
Listeria monitoring refers to the targeted sampling of processing areas and equipment for L. monocytogenes in a food establishment and its documentation. The goal is to detect and eliminate persistent strains of…
What is environmental monitoring?
A regularly conducted sampling to record the company's internal hygiene status. The monitoring can include, for example, the inspection of personnel, facilities and equipment, indoor air, and water used in production.
What are contact samples?
Commercially available double-sided ready-to-use nutrient media suitable for pressing onto smooth surfaces. They are used, for example, for examining the aerobic mesophilic germ count (total germ count) and…
What are swab samples?
Sterile cotton swabs suitable for semi-quantitative testing for any germs in hard-to-reach areas and on non-smooth surfaces. This method allows the identification of numerous target organisms both qualitatively and…
What are scouring pads?
Sponges suitable for sampling surfaces or drains. They are mainly used for qualitative examinations of pathogenic germs. According to Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005, for example, the sampling of carcasses for the…
What are Rodac plates?
Commercially available ready-to-use culture media (contact plates) suitable for pressing onto smooth surfaces. They are generally used for the examination of aerobic mesophilic germ count (total germ count) and…
What are environmental investigations?
Environmental examinations are used to detect microorganisms in a company's production environment. They serve to check and ensure hygiene standards. Environmental examinations include the inspection of, for example,…
What environmental investigations are there?
Using contact and swab samples from work surfaces, devices, and objects that come into contact with food, their contamination with pathogenic germs can be determined. After cleaning and disinfection, the success of the…
What methods are available for air germ measurement?
In practice, two methods are applied: Air germ measurement with a measuring device A device (e.g. impaction device) is needed, which draws in a defined air volume, accelerates it and deposits it, for example, on a…
How is an airborne germ measurement conducted?
They are usually carried out during operation in product proximity. As a standard, the air is examined for aerobic mesophilic germ count (total germ count) and possibly additionally for yeasts/molds. In the food sector,…
What is the purpose of air germ measurements?
Airborne germ measurements can be performed to check the microbiological air quality and the functionality of ventilation systems. Air investigations are thus part of the environmental monitoring required to verify…