Prevent Future Escherichia coli Outbreaks With ATP Monitoring

As of Tuesday, November 20, 2018 the CDC, FDA, and Canadian Public Health Agency announced the investigation of a multistate E.coli 0157: H7 outbreak linked to romaine lettuce. Issued warnings recommend that the public should not consume romaine lettuce until more is known about the source of the contamination. Additionally, restaurants and retailers were urged not to serve or sell romaine lettuce in any form, including mixes.

Taking into account the recent announcement, QA Supplies encourages produce industry associations to invest in  temperature measurement equipment and ATP monitors to ensure proper temperatures during transport and storage, aid in eliminating bacteria, and accurately check microorganism levels.  Data loggers are an excellent solution for tracking produce temperature during transportation or storage. These devices make it simple to identify at which point the product the product was exposed to heat or potentially able to grow microorganisms. For rapid test detection and enumeration of bacteria such as E.coli, ATP monitors such as the Hygiena MicroSnap™ product line offer the perfect solution.

The MicroSnap™ E.coli uses a bioluminogenic test reaction which generates light when enzymes that contain characteristics of E.coli bacteria react with a specialized substrate. Utilizing the EnSURE™ luminometer, the light generating signal is then quantified. The entire MicroSnap process can be done within an eight hour shift allowing for same-day results.

Raw Material Tests

Before materials go into processing screen for microbiological contamination.

Plant Environmental Monitoring

Environmental surfaces and equipment can be tested for same-day bacterial results of plant hygiene.

Finished Product Testing

Microorganism levels are verified sooner for quicker release and better quality assurance.

See an instructional video on this device here or request more information by contacting us at info@qasupplies.com.