Clinical Nutrition chooses IUL’s spiral plating method to analyze samples
Clinical Nutrition is the pioneer company in Spain in enteral nutrition and leaders in sports nutrition, food supplements, and weight control diets. It is the company of the renowned Nutrisport brand that manufactures and commercializes quality sports supplements in supplement bars, energy drinks, tablets, etc.
Clinical Nutrition has more than 1000 references, all they undergo a very exhaustive quality control under the leadership of Xavier Ferrando Martínez, head of the department of microbiology at Clinical Nutrition. Lidia Cussó, from the microbiology lab, inoculates more than 100 samples per day. To do this, Clinical Nutrition has chosen IUL’s Spiral method, the Eddy Jet, and they have been using it for more than 10 years!
Eddy Jet and its spiral plating, an official method of APHA, AOAC and recognized by FDA BAM (Chapter 3)
Run a decent number of samples is always a tedious process, but with the Eddy Jet it is possible to speed up the procedure. Instead of raising samples manually, the Eddy Jet is a time-saver and without worrying about cross-contamination.
The results obtained with the Eddy Jet 2W are 100% reliable as a single-use syringe is used, which prevents any cross-contamination from occurring. For Clinical Nutrition this is essential due to the volume of samples that the company receives daily.
Clinical Nutrition acquired the Eddy Jet 1 more than a decade ago and, because of its excellent effectiveness, they decided to purchase the new Eddy Jet 2W model.
Less contamination and more sterilization
The spiral plate is a simple plating method that does not require much prior training, a tool that technicians can use intuitively and quickly. Clinical Nutrition knows that working with Eddy Jet 2 allows them to have the sample controlled, reducing the risk of contamination of the working environment.
This approach avoids all competition technology problems where cleaning cycles, disinfectant preparation, cross-contamination, complex and unnecessary liquid handling, needle calibration, noisy vacuum pumps, and complicated maintenance requirements overshadow the advantages of spiral plating.
Besides, the Eddy Jet enables genuine sampling sterility thanks to patented and unique micro syringe technology. By using disinfectants, the Eddy Jet eliminates any possible false-negative results due to disinfectant drag.
We inoculate all the samples with the Eddy Jet, even those thicker. We mainly check the presence of mesophiles, and we use depending on the type of sample, the logarithmic method of 100 uL or the linear mode 18 uL for probiotic samples.
Eddy Jet allows logarithmic, lineal and proportional distributions
Eddy Jet can perform more than 25 spiral distributions such as logarithmic, linear, and uniform distributions. Each type corresponds to a different pattern in the liquid sample that extends along the spiral and makes a quick plating suitable for even the most concentrated samples.
- Logarithmic distributions: in logarithmic modes, the volumes poured into each section of the spiral decrease logarithmically, providing a decrease in sample concentration along the different sections of the spiral. Logarithmic modes are the most used in spiral plating to perform viable bacteria/fungal counts.
- Linear and proportional distributions: these types of distributions create hyperbolic concentration gradients that are more moderate than the exponential modes ones. During a linear distribution, the flow of samples dispensed into agar plates does not vary, meanwhile, as the syringe heads towards the outer parts of the spiral, the area over which the sample is dispensed increases generating a hyperbolic concentration gradient.
“Cultivation with the Eddy Jet allows us to obtain a spiral-grown plate without making previous dilutions of the sample. Beside, we can carry out the counting easily as colonies are distributed uniformly on the plate surface.”
The experience of the customer
We needed an instrument that could help us day by day with samples analysis and obtain reliable results […] we were looking for a device that used an official method recognized by AOAC. We found the answer in the Eddy Jet.
Xavier Ferrando, head of the departament of microbiology in Clinical Nutrition
