Tag Archives: 3M

New 3M™ Products & Updates

Unfortunately there are no shortage of food recalls due to allergens. Allergens are a serious business for the food industry and, of course, for consumers. Now there is a new line of allergen tests from a company with a familiar name synonymous with food safety testing to help take on this serious concern.3M Rapid Allergen Protein Test Kits are a Lateral Flow format, that provide significant savings and peace of mind. These Allergen Kits can test finished product, and environmental verification of allergy free food contact surfaces!

What these quick tests can provide is security that one of the “Big 8” is not present when a customer is starting up production after cleaning and sanitizing. What is the “Big 8?” Allergens…Dairy, Wheat (Gluten), Eggs, Peanut, Tree Nuts, Fish, Crustacean Fish, and Soy. The only allergen that 3M does not offer in the Lateral Flow format is the Crustacean Fish allergen, but they do offer it in the ELISA format.

The 18-24 hour Rapid E.coli/Coliform Petrifilm™ Plate is another new offering from 3M that we are excited to add to our line! It is a two-in-one indicator plate for both E.coli and Coliform, which works well with a wide variety of food samples. Previously, Coliform has always been 24 hours for indication of growth, but E.coli testing took 48 hours, which reduces release of product by a full day for basic microbiological testing when using this and the Rapid Aerobic Count Petrifilm Plates.

Regarding Petrifilm, you will start to notice a new, very clean looking package on all their Petrifilm products! All the packages are a redesigned white pack with easy-to-spot color-coded labels.

Lastly, we are setting up the new offering for the 3M Molecular Detection System, which is for the detection of Campylobacter (considered one of the leading causes of bacterial gastroenteritis in humans). Infections are usually caused by consuming cross-contaminated or insufficiently processed foods (typically red meat, poultry, shellfish and unpasteurized milk).

For additional information on these items or our full range of 3M products visit our website or contact our Lab Department today!

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Arch Deluxe: Nelson-Jameson at IAFP

IAFP 2016 , image courtesy of foodprotection.org

IAFP 2016 , image courtesy of foodprotection.org

In the shadow of the towering Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, Nelson-Jameson will be displaying a host of products and services at the International Association for Food Protection Annual Meeting (IAFP)! From July 31st-August 2nd, swing by the Exhibit Hall at the America’s Center Convention Complex to see all we have to offer!   Dayton, Fritz, Amanda, Barb, and Mat will be in attendance to help you check out several of our offerings, and to assist in figuring out how Nelson-Jameson can be of service in supplying your Lab, MRO, Processing, Ingredient, Packaging, and Cleaning Chemical needs!  This year, we’ll be featuring a wide selection of Whirl-Pak bags, 3M Food Safety supplies & instruments, 3M Safety products, Metal Detectable & Color-Coded products, and a host of other quality items.

Each year we look forward to IAFP, as it gives us a chance to connect with customers on the front lines in the fight for food safety. The Exhibit Hall, as well as a remarkable program of presentations, workshops, and meetings bring together an array of resources that continue to propel the industry forward in our new regulatory era. To check out more about IAFP, click here. Be sure to stop by our booth (#619) to find out more about how Nelson-Jameson take care of all of your food safety supply needs and beyond!

In addition, this year we will be featuring an INCREDIBLE drawing for 3M ATP Clean-Trace Luminometer! The 3M Clean-Trace ATP Luminometer is portable, compact, and simple to use for easy testing. The Luminometer is supplied with data trending software that allows plants to filter, sort, and chart your results for easier analysis, making you feel more secure about the decisions that are being made for your plant.

All you have to do to win this beauty is to simply come visit us at Booth #619, and drop off your business card. One winner will be drawn at random, and booth attendance at the time of the drawing is not required. The prize is currently valued at over $3,000, and is not eligible for exchange, return, or credit to Nelson-Jameson or 3M.

See you under the Arch!

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How Clean is Clean?

Food manufactures know they must produce a safe, quality food product that their customers will continue to trust. To do this they must be diligent in their quality assurance programs. Are you giving your sanitation group the proper allotted time and training to always perform their duties correctly? If you are involved in food manufacturing you want to answer “YES.”  But in reality, you have to implement programs to ensure the effective cleaning of your processes and equipment prior to each day’s start of production.

To be proactive many food manufacturers use a surface ATP (adenosine triphosphate-the energy molecule stored in all microorganisms) bioluminescence testing method. The ATP that is measured from a sample may be from food residue, bacteria, yeast, mold or some combination of these. Keep in mind the ATP methods only give a broad indication of the presence of organic substances and not specific microorganisms. This is a quick and simple to use system designed to detect ATP on surfaces after cleaning and prior to applying sanitation chemicals. If the ATP level found surpasses your established threshold the equipment must be re-cleaned and tested to confirm the surface is clean. By utilizing ATP testing this allows the sanitization group to improve their work immediately.

Monitoring your facilities hygiene is critical when it comes to HARPC and HACCP compliance. As part of comprehensive food safety program, it can also bring a great deal of peace of mind. If you compare the investment in strengthening your sanitization program verses the total costs associated with an outbreak or product recall (consider possible harm to your customers, litigation costs, wasted product, production downtime, and damage to your brand), the choice becomes pretty clear.

Simply put, ATP testing methods are an important tool in looking beyond the surface when it comes to clean. Keep an eye out for more ATP news right here on the Wide Line blog, including exciting new developments in ATP technology provided by 3M later this year. In the meantime, we’re here to help you with all of your ATP and environmental testing needs! Help is just a click or a call away!

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Tech Tip: Hydrating 3M™ Petrifilm™ Plates

 

Source: 3M

Source: 3M

When preparing 3M™ Petrifilm™ for use in your environmental monitoring program there are different hydration methods to follow, depending on the test and the context in which it is used.

For air or direct contact procedures where Aerobic Count, Coliform Count, E.coli/Coliform Count, Rapid Coliform Count or Enterobacteriaceae Count Petrifilm™ are being used, hydrate plates with 1 mL of appropriate sterile diluent. Allow hydrated plates to remain closed for a minimum of 1 hour before use.  If using Staph Express Count Petrifilm™, hydrate plates with 1 mL of appropriate sterile diluent. Refrigerate hydrated plates for a minimum of 3 days before using.

For air testing using either Yeast and Mold Count or Rapid S. aureus Count Petrifilm™, hydrate plates with 1 mL of appropriate sterile diluent. Allow hydrated plates to remain closed for a minimum of 1 hour before use.

For direct contact methods only using Yeast and Mold Count Petrifilm™, hydrate plates with 1 mL of sterile letheen broth only. Place letheen inoculated plates into sealed bag and incubate at 30-37°C (86-99°F) for 24 hours. After incubation, store sealed bag of plates in refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours to allow gel to solidify. Plates hydrated with letheen will have a mottled appearance.

If you prefer using the new Rapid Aerobic Count Petrifilm™ the hydration times are slightly longer for air or contact surface monitoring. Air sampling has a 24-hour minimum hydration period refrigerated. After hydration plates can be stored up to 7 days. Contact sampling has a 3-day minimum hydration period refrigerated. These plates may also be stored for 7 days after hydration.

Refer to relevant package insert for details and listing of appropriate diluents.

For storage purposes, place all hydrated Petrifilm™ in sealed pouch or plastic bag. Protect plates from light and refrigerate at 2-8°C (36-46°F). Hydrated Petrifilm™ Aerobic Count plates may be refrigerated up to 14 days, all other hydrated Petrifilm™ plates may be refrigerated up to 7 days.

To see the variety of Petrifilm™ available, see our website.

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The Food Safety Modernization Act: In Small Bites

Food-Safety-300x300

If you have been following the development of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), from its inception, to its passage, to its implementation, it has been quite a long ride! Signed into law in 2011, there has been no shortage of discussion as to what the effects of the law will be on the food industry. What was somewhat abstract became much more immediate when two of the seven key rules were recently released. These first two, respectively pertaining to Human Food Risk Analysis and Animal Food Risk Analysis, came out in late August.

By the time this blog appears on our site, three additional rules will be set for publication. Produce Safety, Foreign Supplier Verification, and Accreditation of Third Party Auditors rules are all set for late October.

As we have highlighted in past blogs concerning FSMA, Nelson-Jameson aims to bring together as many quality resources as possible to help our customers navigate this sweeping change in food safety law in the United States. Recently, 3M, one of our suppliers here at NJ, teamed up with The Acheson Group to provide a 15-part webinar series on the Food Safety Modernization Act.

The series is free of charge and is geared toward food industry interests looking to better understand FSMA and its related standards. The monthly series will run throughout 2016. The impressive first installment, “FSMA: How Do I Comply? How To Determine Which FSMA Rules Apply To You” is available on 3M’s Healthcare Academy site. To sign up for access to the episode, or to sign up for upcoming installments of the series click here.

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