Seward launches range of instantly soluble sterile media
Insterprep granulated media bags and sachets can be used for microbiological analysis of food samples.
The product comes from a partnership between Seward, manufacturer of accessories used in sample preparation for microbiological analysis, and HiMedia Laboratories, manufacturer of laboratory culture media.
It was launched at the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) annual meeting (25-28 July).
The firms have been working together for the food microbiology sector over the last couple of years.
Granulated media progression
Dan Crothers, managing director of Seward, said granulated media was originally developed to reduce the amount of dust prevalent in powdered media products.
However, the nature of a hard granule requires greater time to become soluble as part of normal media preparation steps.
“When Seward was originally looking at this concept, it was found the density and geometry of the granulated media would pierce the plastic and cause the Stomacher bags to leak,” he told FoodQualityNews.
“Insterprep products have been designed to address both issues by creating a granulated media that is instantly soluble at room temperature.
“Significant testing has been coordinated with Seward and HiMedia on granulation specifications which create readily soluble granules without impacting media formulation or performance.
“By producing soluble granules we have been able to address packaging solutions that enhance the media preparation process and combine it with the normal sample preparation steps already being conducted in the laboratory, cutting down preparation times.”
Granules are available in pre-weighed measures inside a sterile Stomacher bag.
The user selects the Insterprep product fitting required media volume, adds the required sample weight and volume of sterile water from a water purification system then places into the Stomacher for blending as per their protocol.
Insterprep sachets contain instantly soluble sterile media granules which are ready-to-use by adding to the user’s own Stomacher bags. The sachets can be selected depending on quantity and type of media required for a particular protocol.
Crothers said the user does not need to prepare media in bulk ahead of unknown testing requirements.
“Laboratory technicians can spend less time on mixing media, worrying about measurements and contamination risks and spend more time on the analytical requirements of the laboratory,” he said.
“This allows laboratory managers to eliminate costly bottlenecks in media preparation and allocate resources more efficiently to the needs of the company.”
LFRI testing
HiMedia Laboratories manufactures products to conform to ISO 9001:2008, ISO 13485:2003 and WHO: GMP standards.
Insterprep has been tested and proven by Leatherhead Food Research Institute (LFRI), who Seward has used before for product testing and to keep close to development trends in food testing.
“The protocol to validate the Insterprep media preparation method involved testing Insterprep against LFRI’s traditional media preparation methods using HiMedia granulated Buffered Peptone Water,” said Crothers.
“The objective was to assess and compare performance of each method using TVC counts and Salmonella species detection.
“The test examined samples of raw chicken, beef, fresh raspberries and cheddar cheese. Results showed both methods as comparable and concluded the Insterprep method as being suitable for diluent use for aerobic TVC analysis as well as primary enrichment broth for detection of Salmonella species.”
The full scope of benefits of the Insterprep are still being realised, said Crothers.
“The Insterprep method has been shown to be equivalent to the traditional methods of media preparation,” he said.
“As such, one of the key benefits of Insterprep to the lab is reduction in preparation times which can drastically reduce sampling bottlenecks as well as avoiding the pitfalls of cross contamination and traceability with manual media preparation methods.”
Media varieties in the range include Buffered Peptone Water, Max Recovery Diluent and Fraser Brothwhich are frequently used in sample preparation of food for microbiological analysis for organisms such as: Listeria, Campylobacter, Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7.
Seward said now the proprietary technology has been established it has plans to continue collaboration with HiMedia to bring it into areas of microbiology, molecular and cell biology.
