COMPANY-REPORTED CASE
Coordinated VHP treatment across a large site, with follow-up monitoring.
A food processing facility identified Bacillus contamination in its products and engaged VanTsteri to investigate and address it. Sampling in the associated environment also detected the same microbial species, identified in the original project record as Bacillus cereus. The investigation therefore extended from product testing to contamination assessment across the production environment.
The challenge involved both spore contamination and the size of the production environment. Multiple areas and HVAC-related locations needed to be included in the treatment scope. VanTsteri focused on planning equipment deployment around the site conditions and the areas requiring treatment.
The team used its own portable vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VHP) equipment to treat production areas and HVAC-related locations. The project record describes deployment of 15 units, a four-hour treatment period, and a subsequent two-hour HVAC circulation period before testing.
Coordinated deployment was a defining feature of this project: equipment was organized around the site’s space and treatment scope. Completion of a single unit’s operating cycle alone was not used to judge the treatment outcome across the production environment.
Both parties collected samples for testing after treatment. During seven consecutive days of subsequent monitoring, settle-plate, airborne microbial and surface microbial sampling did not detect the target Bacillus previously under investigation. These findings relate to this project’s sampling scope and monitoring period.
According to VanTsteri’s project representative, the customer was satisfied with the treatment outcome.
VanTsteri’s service connected the initial product contamination findings with an environmental investigation to define the treatment scope, coordinated deployment of multiple VHP units, and follow-up monitoring to evaluate the outcome. For food facilities with large spaces and multiple production areas, connecting investigation, equipment deployment and testing helps customers understand both the basis for treatment and its results.
If your food facility is facing spore contamination, discuss contamination investigation, VHP equipment deployment and environmental monitoring with VanTsteri.
Case information: This anonymized case is based on VanTsteri’s project record and supplementary information from its project representative. The customer’s identity is withheld.