Training

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size

Food & Beverage - Industry Primer

Print

Industry Primer   |   Products   |   Calculations   |   Test Program Setup   |   Additional Resources

For a quick introduction of LuminUltra's capabilities in this market, go here.

Background

In addition to covering a wide variety of products, the food and beverage industry also encompasses a long supply chain.  As well, since food and beverage products are intended for human consumption, they are subject to perhaps the most stringent standards and regulations of any manufacturing industry.

Additional Information:

The food and beverage industry can be divided up into three main categories:

  • Agriculture/Farming - Despite the general public’s preferences moving from fresh foods towards processed foods, the origin of most food products is still the farm.  Whether the end product is whole food (e.g. fruit, vegetable, meat, or grain) or processed (e.g. packaged snack foods, prepared dinners), the majority of the raw materials directly or indirectly originated as a product of the agricultural industry.

    Additional Information:     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture
  • Processing/Packaging - Raw materials from farms are combined and processed to certain degrees to produce the food that goes on your table.  The food processing industry has grown to an enormous size worldwide due to the general movement towards mass production.  While mass production is certainly more profitable, it is usually more prone to contamination.  For this reason, the addition of preservatives is an important aspect of food processing to prevent premature spoilage.

    Additional Information:
    Food Processing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_processing
    Food Packaging: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_packaging
  • Distribution - Once food products that have left the processing facility, they proceed to market via distributors and wholesalers.  These products can be exposed to several other sources of contamination after entering the distribution chain.  This is especially true when they are carried across borders or vast distances, which is often the case with produce. Also, the effectiveness of preservatives (if applicable) are truly tested at this point. 

    Additional Information:     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_distribution

How can ATP monitoring help?

With LuminUltra’s ATP monitoring technology, microbial growth can be quickly assessed at any point in the manufacturing process. When used as part of a HACCP-based water safety and maintenance strategy, our Quench-Gone Aqueous (QGA) and Deposit & Surface Analysis (DSA) test kits offer peace of mind by providing on-the-spot feedback on microbiological tests at any stage of the process, such as:

  • Assess irrigation and wash water quality.
  • Monitor make-up water quality at any point in production.
  • Complete results obtained in minutes, allowing rapid release of product as well as immediate detection of contaminated product.
  • Complete, accurate and interference-free results for irrigation and wash water.
  • Rapid assessment of microbial build-up on food preparation surfaces as well as on pipe and tank walls.

ATP results can become an invaluable component of a continuous improvement program and is an excellent compliment to current monitoring practices (e.g. culture tests).

The QGA method is similar in design to ASTM Standard D4012 for the measurement of ATP in water. The full standard can be obtained here: http://www.astm.org/Standards/D4012.htm.

Regulations

In most jurisdictions, government regulations are put in place to regulate treated water quality as well as that which is delivered to customers.   It is therefore critical to maintain cleanliness at all points in the system to prevent water quality violations.

Additional Information: