6. Sampling and Testing
Businesses must determine the type of sampling to be used meets the objective of the cleaning and disinfection program.
Some of the sampling techniques that can be included are visual inspection, surface swabbing and rinse water samples.
Product sampling normally involves taking a sample of the first product off the line for testing after cleaning has been carried out. It is considered good practice to take samples from the first, middle and last product from the line.
Also, decide on what analytical tests to use to determine whether the objective of the cleaning and disinfection program has been met. For allergens in the product itself, ELISA should be used wherever possible for validation.
For surfaces, ELISA and RFDs are viable testing options. If a lab-based ELISA test is undertaken for surface residues, LFDs should be run in parallel to establish any correlation between the two methods.
It is also good practice to determine if the cleaning or disinfectant residues present in the sample matrix have any effect on the sensitivity of the analytical detection technique.
