Introduction

Our sterile pre-moistened cellulose sponge, Solar-Cult®, is designed for sampling microbiological contamination on almost any surface. It is a convenient ready to use product designed to eliminate the costly, time-consuming steps of diluent preparation, sterilization and application to sampling devices. In addition to satisfying the sample collection requirements of regulatory programs such as HACCP, cGMP and Occupational Health and Safety quality assurance; we anticipate widespread use of this product in the Food, Medical, Pharmaceutical, Public Health and Cosmetics Industries.

Principle

Solar-Cult® consists of a cellulose sponge that has been moistened with 10 mL of transfer diluent and then sealed in a foil pouch. Possible contamination, by diluent and/or sponge during the moistening step, is eliminated by sterilizing the sealed product with Gamma Radiation. The robust construction of the sponge permits sampling microbiological contamination of large surface areas by allowing the user to vigorously rub almost any surface.

Solar-Cult® Products

The components of Solar-Cult® products were carefully selected using sound scientific principles, to provide high quality products that perform well and are easy to use.

The cellulose sponge was selected for Solar-Cult® on the basis of an exhaustive study carried out by EF Daly, F Pagotto and JM Farber at the Banting Research Center of Health Canada. These researchers observed that the cellulose sponge was the best sampling material available in terms of its non-inhibitory effects on food-borne pathogens. To ensure continuation of this property, our rigorous quality control program requires testing to confirm that each lot of cellulose sponges used in the production of Solar-Cult® is non-inhibitory to food-borne pathogens.

To meet specific user requirements Solar-Cult® is available with a choice of four different diluent materials:

• Neutralizing Buffer assists in the recovery of microorganisms in samples taken from surfaces exposed to sanitizing agents. It has the ability to inactivate the bactericidal and bacteriostatic effects of sanitizing agents such as chlorine and quaternary ammonium compounds (Difco Manual).
  
• DE Neutralizing Buffer assists in the recovery of microorganisms in samples taken from surfaces exposed to sanitizing agents. It has the ability to inactivate the bactericidal and bacteriostatic effects of sanitizing agents such as chlorine and quaternary ammonium compounds (Difco Manual). The medium also contains nutritive agents which aid in the recovery and promote the growth of microorganisms.
  
• Buffered PeptoneWater assists in the recovery of fastidious pathogenic microorganisms - recommended for use in HACCP.
  
• Butterfield’s Phosphate Buffer is the buffer of choice recommended by the United States Federal Department of Agriculture for use in HACCP.

Each lot of diluent is tested to ensure it meets commercial manufacturing criteria and recovers food-borne pathogens

The Solar-Cult® easy tear open foil pouch was selected to ensure a high quality, stable product with a long shelf life. The foil material is a technically proven vapor-barrier that prevents moisture loss. This packaging ensures that sponges are available whenever samples need to be collected.

BSO2-NB SAMPLING SYSTEM