AUTONOMOUS ON-SITE TESTING, ANALYZING RESULTS AND TRENDS ON-LINE, AUTONOMOUSLY  

Build an insightful data history to understand and prevent microbial contaminations, pen-free.


A complete solution with monitoring tools to collect and manage microbial on-site testing data for hygiene, environmental and investigation sampling plans and audits.


Combatting industrial spoilage

Every manufacturing site is unique and full of life, and so is the microbial ecosystem growing there. 


How can you avoid feeling at risk when it comes to the wasted production and possible reputation damages that comes with not catching a contamination before it leads to industrial spoilage? 


It can be hard to know what is best when it comes to monitoring microbial contaminations and performing regular microbiological tests.


BIOFILM PREVENTION 

Biofilms can form quickly in food industry environments. The first two phases are the conditioning of a material’s surface and the reversible binding of the cells to that surface. Next, that binding becomes irreversible and the development of microcolonies begins.
It is well documented that biofilms have become an urgent problem in today’s food industry as biofilms can render the lifeforms on such films resistant to antimicrobial agents and cleaning.
Risk Assessment and Sampling Plans 

An effective sampling plan is necessary to define what is specifically required for any manufacturing facility and activity, whether for the implementation of a hygiene test or for the application of a swab test. 



The HACCP method has proven to be efficient at ensuring food safety. 


However, it was not primarily designed to address spoilage and consequently industries that manufacture products presenting no risk for consumers may not be familiar with the method. 


The HACCP method’s first principle consists in conducting a hazard analysis, then defining critical control points (CCP) and setting acceptable limits for them. For many potentially hazardous products, acceptable levels of indicator microorganisms and pathogen levels are suggested or imposed. 


A similar approach can be applied to prevent spoilage and to the production environment: spoilage risk assessment, identification of environmental control points, and setting acceptable limits.

The acceptable limits are set based on historical values, specific to each product, equipment and site and controlled by a hygiene plan that maintains the contaminants within the accepted limit.


HACCP plan. HACCP Stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point. HACCP is an internationally recognized system for reducing the risk of safety hazards in food. ... Any company involved in the manufacturing, processing or handling of food products can deploy a HACCP plan to minimize or eliminate food safety hazards in their product. https://www.shutterstock.com/fr/image-vector/diagram-concept-haccp-principles-text-keywords-1927040381  The seven principles of HACCP are: Conduct a Hazard Analysis. Identify Critical Control Points (CCP) Establish Critical Limits for CCP. Establish Monitoring Procedures. Establish Corrective Actions. Establish Record keeping Procedures. Establish Verification Procedures.

Setting up a Microbial Monitoring Plan

It can be difficult to properly and thoroughly monitor for microbial contamination so that you are no longer threatened by spoiled production and potential damage if the spoilage is not detected in time. 


Setting up a microbial monitoring plan can be time consuming, and no one is immune to making a mistake. It is also necessary to be able to carry out regular environment testing, but burdening one person in the company with this task could cause them to fall behind in their other duties.


Limited access to laboratory facilities and microbiology expertise can lead to an incomplete data history and to a faulty sampling plan, putting your product and your reputation in jeopardy.


Selecting a Contract Laboratory. "It would not be out of line to treat laboratories using the same protocols described in Subpart G of the current Good Manufacturing Practices Hazard Analysis and Risk -Based Preventive Controls for Human Food." Ref: Food Testing: Selecting a Contract Laboratory - Food Safety Magazine - April 6, 2016

Relying on an external contract lab for microbial analysis makes perfect sense for the compulsory controls which are better conducted in a certified lab environment, but may not be the best option for auto-controls, environmental, hygiene testing because of the logistics, delays and costs involved. 


Mapping the environmental flora is an important part of an Environmental Monitoring Plan (EMP) which can highlight potential routes of cross-contamination. The observation of which microbial populations are present in each of the manufacturing plant zone provides insights into how microorganisms are transported from a zone to another hence indicate where preventive measures should be implemented. 


Documenting the presence of different populations over time requires both a technique such as total flora culture media which allows for labelling populations, and recording the results such that they can be analyzed globally.


Environmental Monitoring Plans and Plant Mapping. Observing and recording microbial populations provides valuable information for preventing cross-contaminations.

Finally, since the underlying objective of Environmental Monitoring Plans (EMP) and hygiene testing is understanding your process and its vulnerability to contamination, DIY on-site testing helps develop an indispensable process understanding competency.

Traceability in Support of Good Hygiene Practices

The ideal solution is to have a data history that you can consult at any time in order to track contamination levels on a production site. Easy access to trend analysis is also key, so you can compare the results from different tests and ensure that the levels of contamination fit your predefined alert levels. 


BioMire’s nomad solution sets technical hurdles aside, seamlessly documents what you do, records test results and helps you read the data in a practical way. The nomad solution allows you to be autonomous and efficient, so you can control production now, understand trends, and improve your good hygiene practices over time.


Thanks to nomad’s Smart Microbiology tool, you will be able to closely track the results of your microbiological on-site tests. If a test shows higher contamination levels than usual, you will know immediately where in your production site the anomaly comes from, so you can act quickly and decisively. You will be able to test your facilities and machines (even those in contact with food), as well as perform consumer product testing with improved and justified hygiene practices.


Data history to manage contamination levels

A data history for statistical analysis can be used to compare previous overall equipment efficiency KPIs from production data. The historical OEE KPIs indicates how well the plant or machine is operating now under consideration of similar past resource scheduling, order execution, production analysis and downtime events. It can help pinpoint operational and production issues with contaminations levels that might otherwise be overlooked.

The nomad Microbial Risk Management System

Safety is a multidisciplinary concern at the center of process, quality assurance and microbiology. 

Microbial Risk Management Systems (MRMS), the basis of our technology, provide expertise in a single integrated solution for spoilage and hazard management. This allows you to deal with the microbiology in your facilities in a simple and effective way. 


MRMS solutions serve several purposes such as: 

  • Overall Equipment Efficiency

  • Regulatory obligations 

  • Release tests and auto-controls 

  • QA requirements and HACCP implementation

  • Qualifications and validations

  • Organization KPIs


Microbial Risk Management Systems 

Microbial Risk Management Systems serve 3 functions: tracking and tracing, analyzing trends, standardizing processes

Need help setting up your microbial monitoring plan ?


nomad Smart Microbiology : a single integrated solution to implement a complete monitoring plan for microbial contamination

On-site testing for microbes

See microbes with your own eyes and check your processes easily.

Microbial monitoring plans

Simple and effective microbiological monitoring plans, suited to your needs.

Microbiology test devices

Easy-to-use, stand-alone Microbiology test to get up and running fast! 

Microbial Trend Analysis Applications

Most manufacturing companies are challenged with keeping their production systems running with minimum downtime, delivering quality assurance, increasing output and lowering operating cost.


Historical data for statistical analysis can be used to compare Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) from production data. Analyzing the microbial KPI trends can provide insights for technical, hygiene and maintenance management.


Trend Analysis of the Microbial Load in Process Monitoring

For technical managers, trend analysis of the microbial load as the product is transformed from from raw-materials to a finished products can provide valuable information to better understand the contribution of each unit-operation to the contamination levels: 


  • Influence of intermediate product holding time / temperature

  • Influence of cleaning frequency, preventive maintenance

  • Efficacy of microbial load reduction operations (pasteurisation / filtration)

Process monitoring

Analyzing trends in microbial bioburden for each process step participates to improving process efficiency

Trend Analysis in Test Results for Different Indicators

For hygiene managers, trend analysis of test results obtained with different techniques or from different hygiene indicators can provide valuable information to better understand the microbial environment and the performance of hygiene procedures.

  • Consistency between rapid hygiene techniques and microbial populations

  • Efficiency of cleaning and sanitizing procedures

  • Selection of the most suitable test technique for each test purpose

  • Contamination build-up origin

Hygiene monitoring

Comparing trends in test results from different techniques participates in improving the efficiency of hygiene procedures

Trend Analysis for Maintenance

For maintenance managers, the comparison in trends from different locations can provide valuable information to better understand the influence of operating environments on the equipment and how to improve preventive maintenance programs. 

  • Influence of working environment

  • Influence of equipment design

  • Influence of equipment usage and operating conditions

Monitoring for preventive maintenance

Comparing trends from different manufacturing sites participates in improving preventive maintenance programs

For autonomous on-site testing, nomad is a stand-alone complete set of tools

The nomad tool set is largely a digital solution. It was designed with the assistance of experienced users to address the cumbersome, complicated and error prone tasks of proceeding, documenting, counting, calculating, interpreting a microbial test that accompany.   

Most of the steps are automated, secured, stored and on site testing become seamless


The nomad IoT Microbial Test Devices

nomad devices are always easy to use, anytime, anywhere. 

Microbial testing typically includes careful sample handling, transportation and analysis, as well as rigorous documentation—tasks that are daunting and prone to error. nomad microbial test devices and Apps deal with that burden reliably while applying best practices in Quality Assurance, microbiology and process monitoring, so you can build insightful information painlessly. 


Test and Forget 

The nomad IoT test devices are designed to « Test-And-Forget », so your attention can remain on the task at hand: 

  • Easy and intuitive to use 

  • Painless and Pen-free traceability 

  • Built-in security against re-use or mis-use of devices 

  • Step-by-step tracking throughout the test protocol 

The nomad IoT Microbial Monitoring Apps

Penfree microbial testing

nomad IoT microbiology test devices are designed for penfree microbial testing on-site during daily operations, minimizing risks of errors.

Penfree microbial monitoring

nomad IoT microbiology test devices with QRCode scanned by nomad Smart microbiology Mobile App for pen-free microbial monitoring

The nomad Smart Microbiology mobile App is designed for automated pen-free data collection:

  • Test device information (UDI, Expiry date) 

  • Sampling point (Name, picture & GPS position)

  • Sample type and sampling technique used

  • Process information 


  • Test protocol & parameters

  • Incubation temperature and duration

  • Result 

  • Operator comments (text, voice recording and pictures)


The nomad Smart Microbiology mobile App records all the test environmental information required to fully characterize on-site test results.

Microbiology Test Report Automation. Test data is available online, ready for editing, review, approval and export as an automated microbiology test report

The nomad Smart Microbiology web App monitoring solution is designed for easy data management:

  • Automated colony count

  • Tracking of microbial populations 

  • Test reports 

  • Trend analysis

  • Alert & Action level setting

  • Comparison between testing techniques

  • Relation between process indicators

The nomad Smart Microbiology web App offers insightful data analysis for hygiene and EMS monitoring.

Microbial trend analysis. Filter results by sampling point and protocol name to display microbial trend analysis results as cfu concentrations, trendlines and automatic alert levels.

The nomad Starter Pack EMP Consulting Services

Opt for a customized EMP Data Starter Pack with all you need to start your 3-12-month sampling plan and microbiological monitoring: 


  • Up to 4 scheduled technical assistance calls to help set up and manage your sampling plan

  • 1 year access to all nomad App functionalities and the devices you need—No more, no less!

With the EMP consulting services you'll benefit from:

  • Online meetings with our team to help create and customize your sampling plan, accelerating your access to actionable information necessary to solve or prevent non-conformities

  • Technical assistance with sampling protocols, sample preparations

To learn more about setting up a microbiological monitoring sampling plan with the EMP Data Starter Packs visit our shop


The consulting services part of the EMP Starter Pack include a microbial risk assessment method which covers: site experience, site layout and procedures, prevention measures against external (input) and internal (cross-contamination) risks

Have a question about implementing your microbial risk management method on site with nomad?

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Start and Stop testing when you want and enjoy your monitoring applications


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Start and Stop testing when you want and enjoy your monitoring applications