A threat to bacteria. A boost for your productivity

Sometimes, in business, it pays to think small. Bacteria small.

As any raw milk testing laboratory knows, when it comes to milk quality and efficiency in the laboratory, paying attention to detail is essential. But before we get down to the nitty-gritty of business, we need to zoom out for a moment.

From a helicopter view of the dairy industry, we’ve seen a lot of change in recent years. Farms are consolidating and milk testing requirements are changing. Testing frequency, cost pressure, demands for faster turn-around time, and trustworthiness of analytical results are all increasing, adding pressure on busy laboratories. At the same time, climate change may lead to changing microbial flora, highlighting the fact that continuous testing and monitoring is essential. Finally, environmental requirements for laboratories are subject to continuous development as well.

In this evolving landscape, the ability to increase uptime, improve workflow, and lower the cost of ownership, is the key to ensuring a competitive edge. So, how do we rise to the challenge and boost productivity in the laboratory when it comes to testing for bacteria in milk?

The answer is in the details. 

Boost your productivity with BactoScan™ 5

Building on the legacy of previous generations, the innovative BactoScan™ 5 allows you to analyze raw milk more efficiently and with an unprecedented level of safety, making it easier than ever before to improve food safety and ensure milk quality. One of the key drivers behind these improvements is a new reagent concept that significantly reduces the amount of operator steps and the time spent on reagent preparation, maintenance, and cleaning. As well as responsibly reducing the use of chemicals, and waste.

We asked Senior Scientist, Mette Sofie Rousing Fachmann from the development team to explain the day to day benefits of the new reagent concept. “From a user’s point of view, the old BactoScan was quite complicated in terms of reagent preparation. I remember the first time I had to prepare BactoScan reagents and thought that there were many handling steps and stocks to keep track of. With the new reagent concept, where the bulk reagents are stored in the trolley under the instrument, you have exactly what you need, where you need it.”

Time-consuming steps such as weighing reagents and dosing enzymes have been completely removed with BactoScan 5. “With BactoScan 5 a measuring beaker is really all you need,” explains Fachmann. “And with the integrated enzyme dosing system, we reduced the need for enzyme handling, and the waste of reagents – essentially killing to birds with one stone,” she continues.

This concept has a huge time saving effect for laboratories. Automatic enzyme dosing is estimated to save around 15 minutes per day. Similarly, a combined rinse-sheath solution that is fast and easy to prepare saves approximately 30 minutes per day and reduces the cost per sample. Finally, a ready-to-use rehydration kit saves 45 minutes per day and eliminates the need for handling boric acid.

Besides the operational efficiency and reduced cost of ownership, BactoScan 5 improves lab safety and helps you reach your sustainability goals.

“At FOSS we strive to make food analysis better and easier, but we also have a constant focus on replacing harsh chemicals to create better working conditions for our customers and to take care of the environment – one example is the replacement of boric acid,” says Fachmann.

With BactoScan 5, the reagent waste has been reduced by getting rid of the need to discard incubation reagents daily. At the same time, an optimization of the automated cleaning system means that less reagent is used during analysis.

Industry Manager, Dr. Daniel Schwarz sums up the benefits of BactoScan 5 for milk testing laboratories. “BactoScan 5 is not just another BactoScan. Over the years, we have received plenty of feedback from our customers and implemented it in the development of BactoScan 5. Hence, this new instrument comes with numerous attractive innovations improving operational efficiency. For example, the brand new reagent concept makes it evidently easier to work with BactoScan 5 and helps to free up operator time. Another example is that we rethought the instrument’s technology leading to more robust and accurate detection of bacteria. All these innovations around the new BactoScan 5 results in 20% lower cost of ownership compared to BactoScan FC+,” he concludes.

Small things, perhaps. But small things add up, ultimately leading to a better business.

3 ways to boost your efficiency with the BactoScan 5 reagent concept

Improve operational efficiency

A simplified reagent concept with fewer operator steps ensures easy operations and fast onboarding of staff. At the same time, automatic enzyme dosing enhances efficiency by reducing the time spent handling and preparing enzymes.

Operate Responsibly

The new reagent process reduces handling of hazardous chemicals for increased operator safety. Additionally, the new concept reduces the use and waste of reagents, making it a more sustainable choice in the laboratory.

Lower Your Cost of Ownership 

Added to minimal use and waste of reagents, BactoScan 5 uses no reagents in stand-by mode. These reductions add up to ensure a lower cost of ownership.

Learn more about BactoScan 5 to get the full overview of the benefits in your laboratory.

Innovation driven milk quality

FOSS has been at the forefront of revolutionizing milk quality since the introduction of the pioneering BactoScan technology in 1980.

Based on the measurement of Individual Bacteria Count (IBC) for accurate determination of the hygienic quality of raw milk, the first BactoScan set a new standard for rapid and accurate bacteria count, paving the way to improving milk quality and food safety in dairy. Over a span of 40 years, BactoScan has continued to evolve in parallel with the needs of the dairy industry, milk testing laboratories and developments in milk testing regulations. For decades, BactoScan has been the industry standard with 7 major official approvals and more than 1000 instruments installed in more than 70 countries. 

Building on this legacy, the BactoScan 5 continues to improve raw milk testing efficiency.