Production of microbiological culture media

Microbiological culture media and quality control

Culture media production department produces over 200 types of culture media. They all are intended for detection, enrichment and enumeration of microorganisms in food, water, sterile material and pharmaceuticals, clinical and other type of test material.

Complete dehydrated media, obtained from such well known suppliers as OXOID, MERCK, BD and so on, are usually used as a raw material. There are liquid, semi-solid and solid media in the range of media produced. They are dispensed into plastic (Petri dishes) and glass (bottles and tubes) containers. It is possible to produce media according to the composition of the customer.

For convenience of the customer some media are produced as partially completed media, which additionally needs some selective or growth promoting additives.

Ready to use liquid media are dispensed into:

• the bottles,

• the tubes

and solid media are dispensed into:

• the bottles,

• the tubes,

• 55 mm, 90 mm diameter or contact Petri dishes.

All plated media produced by media production department are marked by lot number applying hot pressing. Every lot produced has it´s quality certificate, where all information on powdered media, parameters tested, control strains and storage conditions are indicated.

All media lots produced are controlled in Quality control department.

Quality control is essential in ensuring good laboratory practice. The services supplied and activities performed by Quality control department comprises culture media quality control, maintenance of strains collection, monitoring of environment biocontamination (internal control), testing of pharmaceuticals and biological indicators (BI).

Culture media quality control includes testing of:

• sterility;

• physical and chemical parameters;

• microbiological parameters (qualitative and quantitative).

Reference strains obtained from international culture collections are used for media control.

Maintenance of strains collection includes testing of:

• morphological characteristics and culture purity;

• biochemical properties;

• antigenic properties (when applicable);

• viability (storage expiry).

There are 180 strains in our culture collection, 90 of which are reference strains (obtained from ATCC, DSMZ and NCTC) and the rest – isolations from different pathological material, food and other test material. Stock cultures are kept deep freezed (at -80 ºC). They are tested periodically using commercial biochemical tests and other widely used control methods. Thus it is ensured, that strains remain pure, stable and viable during storage.

Testing of environment biocontamination includes testing of:

• surfaces;

• air.

These tests are carried out according to the requirements of LST 1495:1997. The environment of Culture media production department is monitored once per week. The data obtained are analyzed for trends and their variation (i. e. depending on the season)

Testing by Pharmacopoeial methods includes:

• inhibition testing;

• antimicrobial effectiveness testing;

• testing of biological indicators (intended for dry heat and steam sterilization).

Those tests Quality control department offers to the customers, applying the requirements of European / American Pharmacopoeias. On request of the customer internal validation tests using strains, indicated in Pharmacopoeia, are performed too.

Experience and qualification

From December 2002, Culture media production and Quality control departments where certified by Bureau Veritas according to the requirements of EN ISO 9001:2001. In November 2009, departments where certified according to EN ISO 9001:2008.

A highly qualified specialists produces and performs control over a wide range of culture media for more then 10 years.

Culture media production and Quality control departments supply services to:

• the companies of food industry;

• the hospitals and clinics;

• the companies, which produce pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

If you whish to obtain ready to use culture media of high quality, please contact the head of Culture media production department Jurgita Katkienė by phone +370 5 210 5494 or by e-mail: jurgita.katkiene@nvspl.lt. If you whish to order quality control testing, please use the same contact.

The shortest period in which culture media ordered could be produced (and controlled) is one week.