The importance of microbiological control in industry: food, water and pharmaceutical products

The presence of microorganisms in food, water or pharmaceutical products can affect their quality and, in certain cases, compromise their safety. For this reason, microbiological control is a fundamental part of the quality systems implemented in sectors such as the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and medical device industries.

Through different analyses, it is possible to detect pathogenic microorganisms, assess the microbiological quality of water, monitor critical manufacturing environments, or verify specific parameters in pharmaceutical products. These studies help prevent risks, ensure compliance with established requirements, and contribute to the protection of public health.

Today we present the main activities carried out by the Industrial Microbiology area, a key service for verifying microbiological quality and ensuring the safety of products, processes and facilities.

Microbiological control of food

Food safety requires controls that enable the detection of potential pathogenic microorganisms before products reach consumers.

The main microbiological analyses include:

✔ Salmonella detection
✔ Listeria detection

These controls help ensure the microbiological quality of food and verify compliance with the requirements established for its commercialization.

Microbiological quality of water

Water is an essential resource both for human consumption and for numerous industrial processes. Keeping its microbiological quality under control is essential to ensure its safety.

The following indicators are commonly analysed:

• Escherichia coli (E. coli)
• Total coliforms

The evaluation of these parameters makes it possible to verify the sanitary quality of water and detect potential microbiological alterations.

Legionella monitoring

Within microbiological water testing, the detection of Legionella is particularly important due to its impact on public health.

Its monitoring makes it possible to assess the microbiological status of water systems and verify the effectiveness of the prevention and control measures implemented.

Environmental monitoring in critical environments

The microbiological quality of a product depends not only on raw materials or manufacturing processes. The environment in which production takes place also plays a fundamental role.

For this reason, environmental monitoring is carried out in critical facilities such as:

• Pharmaceutical industries.
• Medical device manufacturers.
• Cosmetic industries.

These controls verify that the microbiological conditions of the environment remain within the required limits and help minimize the risk of contamination during production.

Technology applied to microbiology

The incorporation of new technologies has made it possible to optimize numerous microbiological processes and improve turnaround times.

Automated systems such as VIDAS enable the rapid detection of microorganisms, helping streamline analyses and improve laboratory efficiency.

Their main advantages include:

• Faster results.
• Optimization of analytical processes.
• Improved traceability of testing.

Pharmaceutical microbiology: ensuring product quality

The pharmaceutical industry requires specific microbiological controls to ensure the quality and safety of its products before they are placed on the market.

Sterility testing

Sterility testing verifies that products comply with established microbiological requirements. These analyses are performed in cleanrooms under strictly controlled conditions.

In addition, the use of automated systems such as BACT/ALERT provides methods that are particularly suitable when faster turnaround times are required.

Detection and quantification of bacterial endotoxins

Another analysis carried out in this field is the detection and quantification of bacterial endotoxins using the kinetic chromogenic method described in the European Pharmacopoeia.

These tests are applied to:

• Purified water.
• Dialysis water.
• Pharmaceutical products.
• Medical devices.

Monitoring these parameters forms part of the procedures aimed at ensuring the microbiological quality of these products.

Cosmetics and medical devices

Cosmetic products and medical devices also require specific microbiological controls to verify their quality and safety.

Performing these analyses helps ensure that products comply with applicable requirements and provides greater confidence to both manufacturers and end users. In addition, conducting these tests under ISO 17025 accreditation provides an additional guarantee regarding the reliability of the results obtained.

A common goal: ensuring microbiological safety

The detection of pathogenic microorganisms in food, the monitoring of the microbiological quality of water, Legionella surveillance, environmental monitoring in critical facilities, and the testing performed on pharmaceutical, cosmetic and medical device products all share the same objective: ensuring the quality and safety of products and processes.

These analyses make it possible to prevent risks, verify compliance with established requirements, and contribute to the protection of public health in sectors where microbiological quality is a fundamental aspect.