Plant microbiology
Ensuring the microbiological quality of your plants and plant ingredients
Plants, plant extracts and raw materials of natural origin can be contaminated by microorganisms at various stages of their production, harvesting, processing or storage. Controlling microbiological risk is essential to guarantee the quality, safety and regulatory compliance of products intended for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, nutraceutical and food supplement industries.
A microbiological analysis can isolate and identify specific microorganisms (qualitative analysis) or quantify a particular microbial flora (quantitative analysis).
Phytocontrol offers microbiological analyses in accordance with the European Pharmacopoeia (chapters 2.6.12; 5.1.4 and 5.1.8) and tests for the following organisms:
- TAMC (Total aerobic microbial count)
- TYMC (Yeasts and moulds)
- Escherichia coli
- Salmonella
- Bile-tolerant gram-negative bacteria (entero)
- Staphylococcus aureus
Particular points of vigilance:
Aqueous products
Microorganisms develop when they are in an environment providing sufficient nutrients along with favourable temperature and humidity. Humidity is a decisive factor, since all bacteria need moisture to survive (relative humidity of 75% to 100%). As a result, all aqueous products, particularly hydrosols, are at-risk products that need to be controlled.
Why control plant species?
- Check the quality of your product and detect risks to human health.
- Confirm product stability over time.
Products for external application
Products applied externally (ocular, cutaneous and mucosal routes), unlike ingested products, do not benefit from a chemical barrier. Pathogens are therefore introduced directly into the body systemically.
It is therefore all the more important to control these externally applied products.
SECTORS
Products affected by plant microbiology
Phytocontrol supports and advises pharmaceutical, cosmetic, nutraceutical and food industries, as well as suppliers of aromatics, PPAM, liquid/dry plant extracts, natural ingredients and spice traders, in the microbiological analysis of plants.
