Rapid microbiological testing of food products and raw materials is vitally important in food production. Thourough analysis is necessary to ensure that consumers get fresh, uncontaminated products.

MicroFoss makes often complex microbiological testing a simple and cost-effective process. It quantifies a wide range of microorganisms in a convenient way - offering a significant time-saving advantage compared to traditional analysis techniques. Reduced analysis time helps food producers to spot contaminations earlier and avoid product recalls. In addition, products can be released more quickly - reducing storage costs and extending product shelf-life.

During the processing stage, food is vulnerable to bacterial contamination. Shortened screening times mean faster clearance of raw materials and finished products. This helps to:

• Increase efficiency in the QC laboratory
• Reduce hands-on time,
• Improve the implementation and monitoring of HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) programs
• Reduce quarantine storage requirements.

The MicroFoss™ system

The new MicroFoss™ system from FOSS is a modular, PC-controlled analysis system for the detection and enumeration of a wide range of microorganisms in food.

The MicroFoss system provides measurements vital to the meat, dairy, food, and beverage industries. These include TVC (Total Viable Count), Coliform, E.coli, Enterobacteriaceae, and Yeast, in both raw materials and finished products.

With screening times as low as a few hours, the MicroFoss system requires less labour inputs than any other products on the market today, thus allowing food companies to improve their surveillance programs without additional staff.