Spore Detection & Count Testing
Spore-forming bacteria and fungi can survive adverse conditions such as heat, desiccation, and sanitizers—posing significant risks to product stability and safety. Spore Detection & Count Testing quantifies these resilient organisms to ensure effective process control, especially in sterilized, pasteurized, or low-acid foods.
Why It’s Critical
- Heat-Resistant Contaminants: Identifies spoilage or pathogenic spore-formers that may survive thermal processing (e.g., Bacillus, Clostridium).
- Shelf-Life Impact: Spores can germinate post-process, leading to gas formation, off-odors, or bloating in packaged foods.
- Hygiene Verification: Detects post-cleaning residue or biofilm-derived spores in equipment and cleanroom environments.
- Fermentation Integrity: Ensures controlled fermentation isn’t disrupted by spoilage spore-formers.
- Regulatory Compliance: Supports validation for UHT, canning, and aseptic processing per HACCP, FDA, or Codex standards.
Sample Types Analyzed
- Pasteurized/UHT dairy (milk, cream, yogurt)
- Low-acid canned foods
- Infant formula, RTE meals
- Probiotic formulations
- Environmental swabs from heat-exposed zones
Testing Methods
- Sample Pre-Treatment: Heat shock or ethanol exposure to eliminate vegetative cells and activate spore germination.
- Selective Plating: Inoculation on media like Nutrient Agar, Reinforced Clostridial Agar, or TSC agar based on aerobic/anaerobic requirements.
- Anaerobic Incubation: For Clostridium spp., typically at 35–37°C in anaerobic jars/chambers for 48–72 hours.
- Colony Enumeration: Reported as CFU/g or CFU/mL, with morphological notes and oxygen tolerance classification.
- Optional Identification: Gram staining, motility tests, or molecular techniques (e.g., 16S sequencing) for species-level ID.
Accreditation & Reporting
- Reference Standards: ISO 21528-2, ISO 7937, FDA BAM, AOAC
- Report Includes: CFU values, incubation parameters, test method, and interpretive remarks
- Quality Compliance: Conducted under ISO/IEC 17025-accredited lab protocols
Leading food testing laboratory ensuring safety and quality in the food industry.
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9341 E.Childs Ave., Planada, CA 95365, USA.
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