Microbial environmental monitoring according to international standards

The ISO18593:2018 standard focuses on swabbing techniques to estimate the level of contamination during production, or the effectiveness of cleaning and disinfecting protocols. European Union Reference Laboratory for Listeria monocytogenes (EURL Lm) focuses on sampling the food processing area and equipment for the detection of Listeria monocytogenes. Guidelines from Public Health England (PHE) consider swabbing for both detection of pathogens in general as well as enumeration of bacteria as a tool to measure the cleanliness of surfaces. To make good sense of EM, frequent sampling, proper sampling techniques, proper storage and transport conditions and a high-quality swab is required. One of the biggest issues surrounding swabbing today is the ability of the swab to neutralize the sanitizers that are being used in food production facilities. Higher concentrations of sanitizers like quaternary…