The firm said it has enhanced its acceptance criteria above that of ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 11133 and has applied thresholds, such as an elevated Productivity Ratio.
ISO 11133:2014 relates to the microbiology of food, animal feed and water – culture media preparation, production, storage and testing.
The standard was published in May 2014 and replaces EN ISO TS 11133-1:2009 and EN ISO TS 11133-2:2003 which separately covered preparation and performance testing of culture media.
It applies to media formulation, including dehydrated culture media (DCM) and ready-prepared media used for all applications – whether these are conventional culture or rapid methods.
Compliance work
Lyn Richards, quality assurance and regulatory affairs manager at Lab M, said it was aware the new standard was approaching and had been keeping abreast of different draft versions.
“A vast part of the work involved an evaluation of the required culture collection strains and the number of passages allowed,” she told FoodQualityNews.
“Lab M took the opportunity to invest heavily in a new culture collection, and even arranged for the entire collection to be replicated and stored securely off site as part of its business continuity plan.
“For each product specified within the standard, Lab M’s internal specifications were reviewed to ensure they meet or exceed the requirements laid out in the new ISO 11133.
“Lab M’s QC protocols were reviewed and updated to reflect any changes made, and the whole of the QC department was given training to ensure all staff were familiar with the new standard and any altered acceptance criteria.”
Lab M said labs find it beneficial to have food and water standards together in one document, especially as many now test both matrices.
ISO 11133:2014 ensures improvement to consumer safety in food and beverage products and performance should imitate the intended sample testing conditions.
Lab M said it hasn’t experienced any changes since implementing the standard and becoming compliant in March this year.
Richards said customers want to receive products which comply with industry standards and allow their lab to conform.
“By knowing that our culture media has already met or exceeded these standards gives laboratories peace of mind, and helps eliminate concerns regarding statistical variation if a product is on the threshold of the acceptance criteria,” she said.
“Any microbiology lab which is accredited according to ISO 17025 will require its media to be compliant to ISO 11133, and using culture media which is less likely to face QC issues internally not only gives peace of mind, but also often leads to cost savings and efficiencies.”
QC lab targets ISO 17025
The QC laboratory is working towards ISO 17025, with UKAS accreditation anticipated in the summer.
Lab M said this will demonstrate compliance with the relevant standard for the quality control testing of Pinnacle pre-poured plates, using the company’s own dehydrated culture media (DCM).
This includes extension of the existing quality management system for quality control testing and adherence to technical requirements.
“This accreditation is important because it demonstrates that not only is Lab M’s media performance tested according to ISO 11133:2014, but also that the testing done by Lab M’s QC laboratory to assess ready-prepared media is to a high industry standard,” said Richards.