Biofilm Audit

INDEi: total expertise and comprehensive service in Biofilm Elimination and Biofilm Audit.

Biofilms are nests of bacteria that can grow on many surfaces in the food industry: heat exchangers, pasteurisers, tanks, spray dryers, cooling systems, food pipes, valves, membrane filters, etc. This can cause serious contamination of the finished products, leading to adverse consequences such as the closure of production lines, with the resulting major financial losses and brand damage.

What are biofilms?

Bacterial biofilms are generally defined as structured clusters of bacterial cells enclosed in a self-produced polymer matrix that is attached to a surface. Bacteria can adhere to cells and tissues as well as to solid surfaces (e.g. floor or equipment found at food, dairy and beverage processing plants).

To help you achieve optimum hygiene and product safety within your facilities, INDEi can provide the following solution:

A complete and precise Biofilm Audit of OPC and CIP installations: to reveal, locate, and quantify the contamination:

Measurement of ATP concentrations;
Measurement of turbidity (SLYM BART);
Interpretation and analysis of bacteriological results.

Curative treatment with enzymatic cleaning: Innovative and customised approach for open surfaces and cleaning in place.

Our experienced engineers will help you by providing information and solutions to eliminate contaminations related to the presence of a biofilm. An appropriate cleaning and disinfection protocol will be established to ensure the total eradication of the biofilm from your processing facilities.

Biofilm Audit, CIP validation process / Riboflavin testing, biofilm formation adhesion, FAT testing

Carrying out a Biofilm Audit will help reduce and eliminate biofilm adhesion and product spoilage

Proposing and Implementing a preventive treatment and determining its frequency: evaluated according to the biofilm’s propensity to reform and re-contaminate the installation.

The overall goal and aim are to keep the installation safe for daily use. This will ensure:

Maintain productivity;
Protect product quality;
Extend the use-by date of the products;

Full documentation for your quality management.

Highest levels of product purity and quality are of primary importance, particularly in such industries as the beverage, dairy, food and pharmaceutical industry. Independent Integrity Inspection Limited supports you in implementing your quality management routine by providing comprehensive test reports which are produced for every inspection activity carried out by our engineers.