A combination of paper industry and microbiology is rare.
The last textbook about this topic was published in U.S.A. - the year was something like 1955 (when I was a small boy).
After that, a lot of things have happened. It is a most interesting issue. Have you heard about
* "ecocatastrophe" in process microbiology during the change from acidic to neutral/alcalic process?
* the role of bacteria in this new situation - all environmental conditions in a paper machine have changed?
* the role of calcium carbonate and kaolin in the microbiology of paper machines?
* ever increasing recirculation of process waters give more growth period for selected process bacteria?
* sporulation of bacteria is stimulated by longer recirculation periods - what does it mean?
* biocides may be dosed in TOO LOW levels - in opposite to opinions that all kind of microbiological control of process water automatically lead to lower consumption of biocides?
These are issues which I have dealed with over 20 years. I am therefore asking your opinions!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Benefits of microbiological process control - in money?
There are several ways to calculate economical benefits of a proper mb control system. Mind-mapping technique can be used first to detect all aspects included:
TOTAL ECONOMY
An active, problem-preventing microbiological control of raw materials and processes is a most important activity of a paper mill to prevent costs, connected to poor process managements and product faults. We can calculate this value in many ways:
* how much money is spent every second when the production is delayed? 10 euros/s?
* what is the price of a lost jumbo roll, 10...30 metric tons? 5000 € to 30 000 €?
* what are the costs of ineffective / too low / wrongly distributed biocide dosage?
* how much money is spent when a lot of mineral filler or starch is spoiled in a storage tank?
* how much working time of the mill employers is spent for corrective measures after a microbiological problem situation?
* comparison of proper HACCP, based on rapid mb methods and an old-fashioned microbiological control, activated only in hazardous situations?
Different points of view....please think over and refer!
TOTAL ECONOMY
- ECONOMY OF PRODUCTION
- SAVINGS CONNECTED TO SECURED PRODUCT QUALITY
- OTHER ISSUES...?
- COST OF SPOILED RAW MATERIALS
- OPTIMAL BIOCIDE PROGRAMS
- MINIMIZED WASHING & BOILOUT PERIODS
- PREVENTION OF DRIVE DELAYS
- OTHER ISSUES...?
- CUSTOMER CLAIMS....
- FLUENT CONVERTING ACTIONS
- IMAGE OF THE PRODUCT BRAND
- OTHER ISSUES...?
An active, problem-preventing microbiological control of raw materials and processes is a most important activity of a paper mill to prevent costs, connected to poor process managements and product faults. We can calculate this value in many ways:
* how much money is spent every second when the production is delayed? 10 euros/s?
* what is the price of a lost jumbo roll, 10...30 metric tons? 5000 € to 30 000 €?
* what are the costs of ineffective / too low / wrongly distributed biocide dosage?
* how much money is spent when a lot of mineral filler or starch is spoiled in a storage tank?
* how much working time of the mill employers is spent for corrective measures after a microbiological problem situation?
* comparison of proper HACCP, based on rapid mb methods and an old-fashioned microbiological control, activated only in hazardous situations?
Different points of view....please think over and refer!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Rapid control of microbiological status of a paper machine.
Paper industry trust on traditional, proven microbiological methods. Customer claims force the paper mills to use them for end-product QC.
Fast detection - and forecasts - of mb problems cannot be performed by these methods. Some promising progress has taken place since 90's, however:
* optical detection of attachements in paper machine water systems (usually based on IR techniques)
* collection & microscopy of test coupons from processes
* luminometric methods for the evaluation of microbial activity in raw materials and processes
Unfortunately there seems to be no "rapid method" for the estimation of product hygiene yet. Methods of molecular biology may help in future?
Luminometric methods, connected with the examionation of real ("ecologic") process samples is the best alternative for specific assays of microbial counts and activities. Combination of rapid incubation and luminometric assays of process samples is available today ("BIOTOUCH" concept, see figure in right marginal below).
Several calculations and estimations about spare of money has been done. All of them indicate significant reduction of costs which are caused by poor-acting biocide programs (ref. inadequate antibiotic treatment of patients!), problems in machine drive and decreased quality of paper and board product.
Fast detection - and forecasts - of mb problems cannot be performed by these methods. Some promising progress has taken place since 90's, however:
* optical detection of attachements in paper machine water systems (usually based on IR techniques)
* collection & microscopy of test coupons from processes
* luminometric methods for the evaluation of microbial activity in raw materials and processes
Unfortunately there seems to be no "rapid method" for the estimation of product hygiene yet. Methods of molecular biology may help in future?
Luminometric methods, connected with the examionation of real ("ecologic") process samples is the best alternative for specific assays of microbial counts and activities. Combination of rapid incubation and luminometric assays of process samples is available today ("BIOTOUCH" concept, see figure in right marginal below).
Several calculations and estimations about spare of money has been done. All of them indicate significant reduction of costs which are caused by poor-acting biocide programs (ref. inadequate antibiotic treatment of patients!), problems in machine drive and decreased quality of paper and board product.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Joint projects for the development of paper industry microbiology?
For certain reasons (described in the letters below) the methods of paper industry microbiology shall be critically reviewed. Transferring traditional methods of food and clinical microbiology (as the most obvious sources of P&P microbiological methods) may help to prove the hygieny of paper and board products but cannot actually work as "rapid methods" for process control at all.
The need of cooperation between paper industry, microbiological institutions and developers of microbiological methods is obvious. There are several alternatives to build up joint projects for proceeding of microbiological process and product control but, for some reasons, the interests of the potential partners do not meet.
It would be interesting to hear different opinions about the chances to combine R&D activities (and money!) in the area of paper industry microbiology. Be first to comment!
The need of cooperation between paper industry, microbiological institutions and developers of microbiological methods is obvious. There are several alternatives to build up joint projects for proceeding of microbiological process and product control but, for some reasons, the interests of the potential partners do not meet.
It would be interesting to hear different opinions about the chances to combine R&D activities (and money!) in the area of paper industry microbiology. Be first to comment!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Standard vs. novel methods of microbiology in paper industry?
Standard colony count methods give reliable estimates of the number of cultivable bacteria in paper industry samples.
They also serve as documents of the hygiene of paper industry products.
HACCP of paper and board machines cannot be based on these methods, however, because they do not give immediate information about the process and product hygiene. Active, fast responses to the hazardous changes of microbiological status cannot be guided by colony count methods. Something shall be done at once, in minutes or hours - not after CFU incubation periods of 1...5 days.
Traditional standard methods are still the first choose when observing paper industry microbiology. There are several facts which still prevent the application of "Rapid Methods of Microbiology", already popular on other areas of microbiological process and product control, into paper industry:
* CFU methods have been accepted by the customers for a long time (tens of years) ago
* novel, rapid alternatives of microbiological control are not known by the technically-orientated personnel of paper industry
* interchange of microbiological knowledge between paper industry and other branches of global industry are still few (paper industry research , in a way, is relatively isolated whenever other topics than physicochemical and technical paper research are concerned)
* new methods are very rarely accepted among standard mb methods of paper industry
What must be done to apply "Rapid Methods of Microbiology" into paper industry, where they could act as valuable tools for HACCP of process and product hygiene?
They also serve as documents of the hygiene of paper industry products.
HACCP of paper and board machines cannot be based on these methods, however, because they do not give immediate information about the process and product hygiene. Active, fast responses to the hazardous changes of microbiological status cannot be guided by colony count methods. Something shall be done at once, in minutes or hours - not after CFU incubation periods of 1...5 days.
Traditional standard methods are still the first choose when observing paper industry microbiology. There are several facts which still prevent the application of "Rapid Methods of Microbiology", already popular on other areas of microbiological process and product control, into paper industry:
* CFU methods have been accepted by the customers for a long time (tens of years) ago
* novel, rapid alternatives of microbiological control are not known by the technically-orientated personnel of paper industry
* interchange of microbiological knowledge between paper industry and other branches of global industry are still few (paper industry research , in a way, is relatively isolated whenever other topics than physicochemical and technical paper research are concerned)
* new methods are very rarely accepted among standard mb methods of paper industry
What must be done to apply "Rapid Methods of Microbiology" into paper industry, where they could act as valuable tools for HACCP of process and product hygiene?
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Microscopy as a control tool in paper industry.
A microscope, intended for microbiology, can be very effective tool in the microbiological control of paper machines. There are some technical differences between paper analysis and microbiological analysis microscopes, mainly in their optical features (depth of field as an inverse factor to distinction of small details etc.) but, in most cases, a middle-price, modern paper analysis microscope can be modified for microbiological examinations.
Some illumination methods - not so familiar on other areas of microscopy - are especially beneficial for paper industry microbiology analyses. Dark Field illumination (with special condensor) can help to find tiny (< 1 micrometer) microorganisms, Phase Contrast illumination (needs certain types of condensors and objectives) is excellent when checking living, non-stained preparates and UV Epifluorescence Microscopy opens new chances to differentiate living and non-living microscale objects.
Some illumination methods - not so familiar on other areas of microscopy - are especially beneficial for paper industry microbiology analyses. Dark Field illumination (with special condensor) can help to find tiny (< 1 micrometer) microorganisms, Phase Contrast illumination (needs certain types of condensors and objectives) is excellent when checking living, non-stained preparates and UV Epifluorescence Microscopy opens new chances to differentiate living and non-living microscale objects.
Assaying microbial activities in paper machine processes.
To evaluate the potential of microbial growth in paper industry processes, traditional colony count analyses do not fulfil all needs.
Colony count analyses (cfu/ml or cfu/g) are well-known methods to detect certain microbes or microbial groups. The are valuable when specified troublemakers shall be detected.
Total effects of microbial growth cannot be seen by using only cfu methods because
* they do not show the activities of microbes, only their counts
* they are performed in artificial environment (nutrient media), not in the original samples
Rapid incubation of process samples is needed to show potential hazard, caused by process population. Biocide testing is also better to do in original samples from beginning to the end.
The most promising method to perform these kind of "mini-fermentations" today is PMEU incubation (Portable Microbiological Enrichment Unit; FINNOFLAG Oy; Kuopio, FINLAND) which gives results of microbial activities and effects of biocides in hours (compared with days when cfu methods are applied). No protecting, stimulating, inhibiting or other selecting effects of nutrient media are also totally excluded in process sample incubations.
One of the main ideas of microbiology is: Both the counts and activities of microbes shall be taken into account. Populations with relatively high colony counts can have slow metabolic activity - and in opposite.
As a summary: microbial activity, not the count of colonies, causes problems in paper industry processes.
Colony count analyses (cfu/ml or cfu/g) are well-known methods to detect certain microbes or microbial groups. The are valuable when specified troublemakers shall be detected.
Total effects of microbial growth cannot be seen by using only cfu methods because
* they do not show the activities of microbes, only their counts
* they are performed in artificial environment (nutrient media), not in the original samples
Rapid incubation of process samples is needed to show potential hazard, caused by process population. Biocide testing is also better to do in original samples from beginning to the end.
The most promising method to perform these kind of "mini-fermentations" today is PMEU incubation (Portable Microbiological Enrichment Unit; FINNOFLAG Oy; Kuopio, FINLAND) which gives results of microbial activities and effects of biocides in hours (compared with days when cfu methods are applied). No protecting, stimulating, inhibiting or other selecting effects of nutrient media are also totally excluded in process sample incubations.
One of the main ideas of microbiology is: Both the counts and activities of microbes shall be taken into account. Populations with relatively high colony counts can have slow metabolic activity - and in opposite.
As a summary: microbial activity, not the count of colonies, causes problems in paper industry processes.
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