METTLER TOLEDO Thornton Announces Real-time Microbial Monitoring System for Pharmaceutical Waters

METTLER TOLEDO Thornton, a leading supplier of on-line analytical instruments for monitoring purified waters announced the introduction of its 7000RMS analyzer for real-time, continuous measurement of bioburden in the pharmaceutical industry.

On-line monitoring of conductivity and total organic carbon (TOC) for pharmaceutical waters have been possible since 1996. However, determining microbial contamination has almost entirely relied on laboratory measurement of cultures. The time taken to grow cultures, and the multiple testing of points-of-use, results in many days of delay in identifying microbial excursions.

"For many years the pharmaceutical industry has been crying out for real-time bioburden measurement," said Anthony Bevilacqua, Head of R&D at METTLER TOLEDO Thornton. "This technology will be invaluable in assisting pharmaceutical companies validate water systems in real time, reduce off-line sampling costs and help eliminate false-positive tests", added James Cannon, Thornton's Head of OEM and Markets.

The 7000RMS provides continuous analysis of microbial and inert particle contamination wherever required in a water system or at point-of-use. The compact unit not only provides real-time assessment of water loop bioburden levels, it lowers labor costs via reduced sampling and testing, reduces energy use through better management of sanitization cycles, and leads to increased process understanding and product safety.

Unlike other modern techniques for measuring microbes in water, the laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) technology employed in the 7000RMS does not require time-consuming staining or use of reagents. The implementation of LIF in the analyzer, in conjunction with Mie scattering detection and advanced software algorithms, allows the simultaneous measurement of particle numbers and determination of whether particles are microbes or inert material.

The analyzer is suitable for on-line and at-line use, and for lab measurements of grab samples. It features a touch-screen user interface with multiple data communication options including SCADA connectivity with ModBus TCP, multiple analog outputs and is Wi-Fi capable.