Rapid Microbial Detection Of Contaminants In Water Samples

Water is a key raw material utilized in the manufacturing of products within the pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, and healthcare industries. Within each industry, regulatory requirements exist for microbial contamination in different levels of water purity. The microorganisms found in these water systems are mainly stressed, slow-growing strains characterized by long incubation times (5 to 7 days) before growth can be detected using traditional microbiology methods. The time required before contamination can be detected in water can cause delays in product release, and extend the storage time of products. By using rapid detection methods, manufacturers are able to address contamination events sooner, avoid line shutdowns, release products to the market faster, and reduce warehousing costs.

The Milliflex® Quantum system is a convenient platform for the rapid detection of microbial contamination in filterable samples. The system is based on a non-destructive fluorescence labeling of viable and culturable micro-organisms collected on a Milliflex® mixed cellulose esters (MCE) membrane. In this study, various water samples (lab water and purified water) were tested in order to assess the ability of the Milliflex® Quantum System to detect microbial contaminants quicker and to evaluate the reduction of time-to-final result in comparison with the compendial method.