Rapid, Robust, Reliable — presenting Soleris Next Generation

When Neogen combined the established and well-regarded Soleris and BioLumix platforms to create Soleris Next Generation, they created a system that was bigger than the sum of its parts.

Soleris NG includes all the best features, benefits, and ease-of-use from the previous platforms to offer a more comprehensive range of testing applications across food, nutraceutical, and even cosmetic matrices.

Developed to test product quality and safety in all areas of food production, Soleris NG is an ideal solution that is already in use around the world for numerous applications across many different industries.

In a recent interview, Microbiological Lab Leader at Kraft Heinz, Giuliana Di Costanzo described her company’s stringent testing requirements for their infant feed range, which they produce for both domestic and export markets.

“To ensure we are producing high quality products and that our baby food products are safe for the consumer to eat, we carry out testing of raw materials, in process samples, finished goods, ingredient water, and thermal process evaluation,” said Di Costanzo.

“We specifically test for commercial sterility on our finished goods because the thermal processes we implement must achieve a sterile product, and we aim to prove that.”

Using optical technology that combines simple methodology and classic microbiology, Soleris NG provides accurate, reproducible detection of a variety of microorganisms.

The heart of the system is its ready-to-use culture media vials. Testing is simply a matter of inoculating the vial with a sample and placing it into the Soleris NG instrument for analysis. The unique vial technology measures microbial growth by monitoring pH changes and other biochemical reactions. These changes are detected photometrically by an optical reader and monitored every 6 minutes. This means the presence of a microorganism could be identified and necessary action commenced in real time, well before analysis is complete, saving huge amounts of time and drastically reducing wastage.

“The Soleris system is able to detect a wide range of microorganisms, including the spores that other instruments are not able to detect,” said Di Costanzo.

“As part of our microbiological risk assessment, we test for Enterobacteria, yeast & moulds, lactic acid bacteria and thermo-resistant spores. These are the most critical microbiological risks related to the properties of our products and our factory.”

Neogen works with many of Australia’s leading dairy and food manufacturers to help them maintain quality, improve efficiency, and mitigate food safety risks. Product Specialist, Troy Gosetti is equally enthusiastic about Soleris NG and its potential benefits to the industry.

“Neogen offers a huge range of products and solutions that address the specific needs of different customers and situations, and since bringing in the former 3M Food Safety Division, that capacity has effectively doubled,” said Gosetti.

“All those products are great at what they do, but I would still describe Soleris NG as our flagship system. It is such a beautiful blend of a proven technology established decades ago, that continues to evolve, improve, and find new applications within and beyond the food industry. It is just so versatile. I couldn’t imagine a food lab set up anywhere that wouldn’t see immediate benefits from this system.”

While accuracy and reliability are critically important, in a commercial food production setting, so too is speed. Earlier alerts to any potential contamination allow for earlier remedial action, reducing waste and increasing productivity. Being able to release products more rapidly can also effectively extend the shelf life and ultimate value of products.

“When choosing a method for testing these organisms we focus on sensitivity and related rapidity to get a reliable result. This is important to us because we have the necessity to release the finished goods in the shortest time,” said Di Costanza.

“We love using the system because it allows us to test multiple samples simultaneously, to get quick results and it’s an easy way of working.”

Compared to traditional methods, Soleris NG offers quicker time to results, with some tests in the range of assays completed in less than half the usual time and with significantly less hands-on involvement by technicians. In a race for efficiency, this alone can make a big difference to a business.

However, the real advantage of Soleris in a food safety capacity comes from its potential to alert you to a problem long before a test is even complete. The higher the number of organisms present, the faster the detection time. So, if a serious problem exists, you will know about it, and can take action, well before the final results come through.

When the results do come through, Neogen’s enhanced software allows you to access a complete audit trail, export directly to LIMS, and generate automated certificates of analysis.

And because it’s a non-destructive test, you can even use the same sample for further analysis and organism confirmation.

The Soleris NG system has been rigorously tested and validated across its testing applications. It is backed by Neogen’s unmatched technical support and years of experience in microbiological diagnostics. And as Di Costanzo can attest, Neogen is available to guide you every step of the way.

“Working with Neogen has been great because they have supported us through constant remote assistance. This helped us to understand the best way to use the instrument, how to adapt and improve our way of working, and how to adjust the setting parameters and Soleris vials to work most effectively with our product.”

I would definitely recommend working with Neogen and the Soleris system because it’s really a good instrument that combines high sensitivity and speed.”

Do More — visit the Neogen website for more details about Soleris NG and take advantage of their limited-time free trial offer.