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Microbiological risk in complex food supply chains

Seward Ltd

Navigating the complexities of food safety in a global supply chain

21 Feb 2024
Will Thompson
Editorial Assistant

Industry news

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Microbiological food safety relies on the skill and vigilance of producers at every stage of the supply chain. The food industry supply chain reaches back to the farms that are the primary producers of food through to the development labs, processing factories and retailers. Within this chain are critical control points providing the opportunity to catch contamination with processes in place that prevent these issues reaching our dinner tables. But the food supply chain is a complex web often crossing international borders.

Food microbiologists must invest in the latest technologies and techniques, and a key aspect of this the need for a decent representative sample. If the sample is not representative then the result is going to be flawed.

Seward Limited, the manufacturer of the Stomacher® lab blenders, is involved in several development projects for existing and new techniques in food microbiology. The viability of the sample is protected by the blending process of the Stomacher lab blenders. The machines operate at a maximum of 600 paddle strikes per minute, imparting a powerful blending action to the sample ensuring maximum homogeneity is achieved. This action prevents damage to the bacteria contained within, compared to other blending methods.

Offering a volume sample range from 250 µL to 4500 mL, Stomacher lab blenders, in particular the 400, 400EVO and 3500 can be used daily in food safety testing, producing accurate, repeatable results.

Stomacher® is a registered trademark of FermionX Ltd.

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Seward Stomacher® 400 EVO Eco blender bags

Seward Ltd

Reduce your laboratory's plastic usage and waste disposal costs with our Seward Stomacher® Eco sample bags. Smaller bags (30% smaller than standard sample blender bags), same results, same Seward quality of sample preparation. Suitable for volume sample sizes 80ml – 400ml and for use exclusively with the Seward Stomacher® 400 EVO blender.  

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Seward Stomacher® 400 Circulator lab blender

Seward Ltd

 The Seward Stomacher® 400 Circulator is the gold standard in laboratory blenders.  Used daily in food safety testing, producing accurate, repeatable results, the Stomacher® 400 Circulator has been at the forefront of food testing protocols for 50 years. Recognised as the ‘work horse’ of the lab, it is the most commonly used model in food microbiology and has continued to establish a reputation in the fields of life sciences and healthcare.

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