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Food Safety Recall Investigations: Using Aseptic Sampling to Identify Contamination Sources

This is a guest post written by Bob Manning, a seasoned expert with over 30 years in food and beverage manufacturing. Throughout his career, Bob has helped companies navigate complex quality challenges, optimize process monitoring, and prevent costly disruptions. In this post, he shares his firsthand experience using QualiTru’s aseptic sampling systems to troubleshoot contamination issues and mitigate the risk of a food safety recall. See Author Bio at the end of the post.

With over 30 years in food and beverage manufacturing, I have relied on innovative solutions to enhance product quality, food safety, and operational efficiency — critical factors in preventing a potential food safety recall. One such indispensable tool has been QualiTru sampling systems. Their proven technology has enabled me to collect real-time samples, providing critical data that informs proactive decision-making and ensures consistent product integrity.

A Critical Tool for Troubleshooting a Food Safety Recall 

While my primary use of QualiTru sampling systems has been for real-time quality monitoring, one of my most significant experiences involved a large-scale, high-cost food safety recall, where the root cause was initially undetermined. Qualitru systems played a pivotal role in troubleshooting and failure diagnostics.

Our investigation spanned multiple potential sources of failure, ranging from raw material inconsistencies and storage conditions to thermal processing parameters. Using QualiTru’s TruStream™ Septa and TruStream Ports, we were able to collect multiple samples at critical control points (CCPs) across the processing system. These samples were used for both immediate microbial testing and incubation studies, allowing us to track the contamination source with precision.

The aseptic design of these systems was particularly beneficial in this food safety recall investigation. Traditional sampling methods often introduce variables that can compromise data accuracy. However, QualiTru’s closed system sampling ensured that our findings were both precise and actionable, significantly reducing the time required to identify the root cause. Without these tools, the food safety recall investigation would have taken much longer, and the potential risk for erroneous conclusions due to cross-contamination would have increased.

Proactive Food Safety: Expert Insights and Practical Tools
With over 30 years of experience in food and beverage manufacturing, Bob Manning has helped companies prevent costly food safety recalls, optimize process monitoring, and ensure product integrity. His expertise in dairy, plant-based, and aseptic processing, combined with his deep understanding of contamination risks, makes him a valuable resource for manufacturers looking to improve their food safety and quality programs.

Bob’s latest book, In the Midst of a Recall, shares the truth behind what really happens after receiving that dreaded call to initiate a recall. His website also features valuable tools, including a Certificate of Analysis (CoA) Checklist, designed to help manufacturers assess supplier quality and verify product safety before production begins. When used alongside QualiTru’s aseptic sampling systems, these proactive measures provide a comprehensive approach to quality assurance, allowing manufacturers to identify contamination risks early and make informed, data-driven decisions.

Proactive and Predictive Use in Day-to-Day Operations

Throughout my career, I have successfully integrated QualiTru systems into daily operations in a variety of food and beverage categories, including:

Unlike basic sample ports, which are widely used but often limited in accuracy, primarily due to their location and inability to remain sanitary, QualiTru systems provide a layered, data-driven approach to quality assurance.

Beyond product testing, I have found these systems to be highly effective in:

  1. Microbial Monitoring – Detecting and tracking bacterial growth trends before they reach critical levels.
  2. Predictive Diagnostics – Identifying early warning signs of process deviations to prevent future failures.
  3. Sanitation Verification – Evaluating clean-in-place (CIP) effectiveness by collecting samples at strategic points in the system.

“These systems have been invaluable in monitoring product consistency, ensuring food safety, and improving overall operational efficiency and product yields.” 

Bob Manning, Founder of Manning Resources, LLC

Monitoring Sensitive Ingredients and Products at Critical Stages

Many food and beverage products undergo significant transformations throughout their production cycle. Maintaining product quality and safety at each stage — from raw materials to final processing — is essential, especially for sensitive or high-risk ingredients.

Critical stages where QualiTru sampling systems enhance quality control:

  1. Raw Ingredient Monitoring
    • Ensuring that incoming raw materials meet specifications before processing.
    • Detecting potential microbial contamination before ingredients are introduced into production.
    • Verifying consistency in milk, fruit concentrates, emulsifiers, and other sensitive ingredients.
  2. Aging & Developing Phase
    • Monitoring products that undergo microbial or enzymatic changes, such as cultured dairy, fermented beverages, or aged cheeses.
    • Tracking pH levels, bacterial growth, and moisture content changes over time.
    • Identifying potential spoilage risks before they impact final product quality.
  3. Pre-Processing & Final Product Check
    • Confirming that product formulations remain stable before entering thermal or aseptic processing.
    • Ensuring that ingredient blends are homogeneous and meet final product specifications.
    • Identifying any late-stage contamination risks that could compromise food safety and require costly interventions.

By using QualiTru’s TruStream™ Septa and TruStream Ports at these critical stages, manufacturers gain real-time visibility into their product’s condition, enabling immediate corrective actions when deviations arise. This level of monitoring is especially valuable for products with strict microbial and chemical specifications, such as:

Enhancing Sanitation and CIP System Monitoring

Another area where QualiTru sampling systems have proven to be a game-changer is in sanitation and CIP system monitoring. In many facilities, sampling from distant points within a CIP loop can be challenging and inconsistent. Traditional methods often fail to provide a accurate, representative snapshot of chemical concentrations and microbial presence throughout the system. The QualiTru sampling systems improves this process by allowing precise sampling from remote locations.

By utilizing QualiTru ports, you are able to accurately track:

  • Cleaning solution concentrations at different points in the system.
  • Potential chemical degradation over long distances.
  • Biofilm formation risks, as the septum is changed frequently for accurate readings.

This real-time visibility optimizes sanitation procedures, ultimately reducing microbial risks and improving equipment longevity.

Safety Advantages for Operators

In addition to its technical advantages, QualiTru sampling systems also enhance worker safety. Traditional sampling techniques, especially in high-pressure or high-temperature environments, can pose significant risks to operators. Conventional sample ports are often difficult to control, and improper handling can lead to exposure to hot liquids, pressurized systems, and hazardous chemicals.

With QualiTru’s closed-system design, when used as designed, samples can be collected in a controlled environment, minimizing worker exposure and ensuring a safer operating process. This is particularly crucial in sanitation monitoring, where operators may need to collect samples while CIP cycles are running.

Moving from Reactive to Proactive Quality Management to Avoid Food Safety Recalls

One of the biggest takeaways from my experience is that sampling systems should not be used solely as a reactive tool in response to failures. While it’s true that QualiTru played a vital role in resolving a major food safety recall event, its true value lies in proactive integration into standard operating procedures.

By incorporating QualiTru sampling systems strategically, manufacturers can detect trends before they become problems, significantly reducing the risk of food safety recalls and costly disruptions. In today’s fast-moving industry, where food safety, quality, and efficiency are non-negotiable, having a robust, reliable sampling system is essential.

Final Thoughts

Through my extensive experience in food and beverage manufacturing, I have found QualiTru sampling systems to be one of the most reliable and effective tools for ensuring product integrity, diagnosing process issues, and elevating overall food safety standards. Whether used in day-to-day operations, troubleshooting product failures and food safety recalls, monitoring sanitation, or enhancing predictive diagnostics, these systems provide a level of accuracy and confidence that is unmatched.

For any food and beverage manufacturer looking to enhance their quality assurance programs, investing in predictive sampling solutions like QualiTru is not just an option. It’s a necessity.

Prevent food safety recalls before they happen. Contact us today to learn how QualiTru’s aseptic sampling solutions can enhance your quality and safety programs! Or call us at (651) 501-2337 learn more and/or to discuss your needs.

Bob Manning is a food manufacturing operations and quality expert with more than thirty years in various positions within different food manufacturing industries, in plant management and senior executive corporate roles. He has a unique blend of expertise in Operations and Quality, combined with Project Management & Engineering, Sustainability, Sanitation, and Environmental, Health, and Safety.

Bob has a bachelor’s degree of Science in Biology from Salem State University where he had worked extensively as a Microbiology Technician. He holds a Master of Business Administration (Finance), a Master of Science in Engineering Management (Production and Manufacturing Systems), both from Western New England University, a Master of Science in Food Safety from Michigan State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, and a Master of Management in Strategic Management and Executive Leadership (Negotiations) with Pennsylvania State University, Smeal College of Business.

Bob enjoys manufacturing facilities and has worked as an internal and external consultant for large multi-national companies and international consulting firms. With Bob’s vast knowledge in both operations and quality, he is highly skilled in leading teams to solve manufacturing problems with various complexities. Bob has led numerous operations and quality initiatives and multiple investigations with internal product failures, product retrievals, market withdrawals, and recalls associated with various manufacturing defects and failures.