In industries with high hygiene standards, such as food production and pharmaceuticals, the demand for cleanliness and environmental awareness is steadily increasing. Sustainability is far more than just a buzzword—companies are under pressure to make their processes more eco-friendly while upholding the highest safety standards. Traditional sampling products often contain biocides (microbe-killing chemicals) or animal-derived components, which are increasingly viewed critically. HiEnviro-Sponge™ ESM004 & EST004 offer an innovative solution: these biocide-free and animal-free sponges enable effective monitoring of surfaces for contaminants, helping companies achieve their environmental goals.
HiEnviro-Sponge™ available exclusively through neoFroxx in Germany.
Advantages:
- Biocide-Free: The sponge is free from biocides, ensuring that collected microorganisms remain viable for accurate analysis.
- Animal-Free: HiEnviro-Sponge™ ESM004 & EST004 are an ethically responsible and eco-friendly alternative without any animal-derived components.
- Durable for Various Surfaces: Built to withstand sampling across different environmental surfaces.
- Dry or Pre-Moistened Options: Available in dry format or pre-moistened with various media and buffers, depending on your needs.
- Stick Option for Hard-to-Reach Areas: Facilitates easy sampling even in confined spaces.
- Sterile Packaging: The sponges and stick variants are fully sealed, providing maximum safety.
- Easy Handling: Sampling bags are simple to open and close, with a label area for easy identification.
- Optionally Glove-Free: Direct contact with the sponges can be avoided thanks to the special packaging design.
Application Areas
This product is suitable for a wide range of applications:
- Food Testing Laboratories: Monitoring cleanliness in food processing without chemical residues.
- Pharmaceutical and Biotech Laboratories: Safe hygiene management in sterile environments.
- Cosmetic Laboratories: Reliable, animal-free contamination control.
- Environmental Laboratories: Efficient sampling in hard-to-reach areas.
HiEnviro-Sponge™ – Step-by-Step
- Purpose: To capture potential microbial contaminants on surfaces.
- Application: The pre-moistened sponge, enriched with a sterile neutralizing buffer, is wiped over the designated surface to be tested, such as equipment, floors, or walls.
- Packaging: After sampling, the sponge is returned to its sterile bag or container to ensure safe transport to the laboratory.
- Opening the Bag: In a sterile environment, such as a biosafety cabinet or clean workbench, the sealed bag containing the sponge is carefully opened to avoid contamination.
- Dilution (if necessary): The sponge can be transferred into a sterile bag or container with a diluent (e.g., phosphate-buffered saline, PBS). This solution helps release the microbes from the sponge into the liquid.
- Homogenization: The sponge is placed in a stomacher (a mechanical mixer) or kneaded manually to ensure all microorganisms are thoroughly released into the solution.
- Microbial Analysis: The prepared solution, now containing microorganisms, is analyzed through various culturing methods to identify and quantify the microbes.
- Agar Plating: Serial dilutions of the sample can be prepared to facilitate colony counting and are spread onto specific agar plates (e.g., Plate Count Agar for total aerobic count or MacConkey Agar for Enterobacteriaceae).
- Incubation: The agar plates are incubated at appropriate temperatures for the target organisms. Examples include:
- Aerobic Bacteria: 35–37 °C for 24-48 hours
- Fungi (Yeasts and Molds): 25–30 °C for up to 5-7 days
- Membrane Filtration: For very low microbial counts, the sample liquid can be filtered through a sterile membrane, which is then placed on an agar plate or selective media for incubation and colony counting.
- Enrichment Cultures: When specific pathogens like Salmonella, Listeria, or E. coli are suspected, the sample is enriched in a selective broth before culturing on selective agar. This helps detect even low levels of targeted pathogens.
| Pathogen | Anreicherungsmedium | Selektives Agar-Medium |
|---|---|---|
| Salmonella | Selenit-F-Brühe / RV-Brühe | XLD-Agar / Hektoen Enteric Agar |
| Listeria | Listeria-Anreicherungsbrühe (LEB) | Oxford-Agar / PALCAM-Agar |
| E. coli | Gepuffertes Peptonwasser / LB-Brühe | MacConkey-Agar / EMB-Agar |
The prepared samples are incubated under controlled conditions to promote microbial growth. This incubation period allows existing microorganisms to multiply, increasing the likelihood of detection during subsequent analysis.
The colonies on the culture media are counted to determine the degree of surface contamination.
Additional tests may be conducted to identify specific pathogens or types of bacteria, fungi, or viruses:
- Biochemical tests (e.g., oxidase or catalase tests)
- Molecular tests: PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) or genetic sequencing
- Gram staining for bacterial classification
The microbial counts and identified species are compared with regulatory standards or acceptable limits to assess the level of contamination.
All findings, including counts and identified species, are documented and reported to relevant stakeholders for corrective actions if necessary.
Commonly Detected Microorganisms
- Total Aerobic Plate Count (APC): Indicates general microbial load
- Coliform Bacteria: Indicator of fecal contamination
- Yeasts and Molds: Important in food production and cleanroom environments
- Pathogens: Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli, etc., which require specific enrichment and selective growth
Why HiEnviro-Sponge™ is ideal for sustainable monitoring
HiEnviro-Sponge™ ESM004 & EST004are designed to support sustainability without compromising on effectiveness. On request, the sponges are also available as a custom version with
HiVeg™, a plant-based hydration medium. (Please note that there may currently be delivery delays for this custom option.) Available exclusively at neoFroxx, HiEnviro-Sponge™provides you with an eco-friendly and reliable solution for your environmental monitoring needs.
You can find more HiEnviro-Sponge™ products in the overview below:
Product Overview:
- HiEnviro-Sponge™ – Biocide-free, ready for sampling across various surfaces
- HiEnviro-Sponge™ Stick – Perfect for reaching confined spaces and conducting thorough monitoring
Additional Products:
- HiVeg™ Medien – Enrichment media free from animal-derived components
- HiTouch-Plates™ – Environmental Monitoring Plates
Discover how HiEnviro-Sponge™ can make your hygiene monitoring eco-friendly, safe, and effective—now available exclusively at neoFroxx in Germany.
HiEnviro-Sponge™
HiEnviro-Sponge™ Stick
| HiEnviro-Sponge™ | ||
| HiEnviro-Sponge™ Hydrated w/10ml Neutralizing Buffer | sterile 10x5 Pcs | ESM004-10X5NO tierfrei |
| HiEnviro-Sponge™ Hydrated w/ 10ml Buffered Peptone water | sterile 10x5 Pcs | ESM001-10X5NO |
| HiEnviro-Sponge™ Hydrated w/ 10ml Letheen Broth | sterile 10x5 Pcs | ESM002-10X5NO |
| HiEnviro-Sponge™ Hydrated w/ 10ml Dey-Engley Neutralizing Broth | sterile 10x5 Pcs | ESM003-10X5NO |
| HiEnviro-Sponge™ Hydrated w/ 10ml Dey-Engley Neutralizing Broth w/o BCP | sterile 10x5 Pcs | ESM005-10X5NO |
| HiEnviro-Sponge™ Dry | sterile 10x5 Pcs | PW1370-10X5NO |
| HiEnviro-Sponge™ Stick | ||
| HiEnviro-Sponge™ Stick Hydrated w/ 10ml Neutralizing Buffer | sterile 10x5 Pcs | EST004-10X5NO tierfrei |
| HiEnviro-Sponge™ Stick Hydrated w/10ml Buffered Peptone water | sterile 10x5 Pcs | EST001-10X5NO |
| HiEnviro-Sponge™ Stick Hydrated w/10ml Letheen Broth | sterile 10x5 Pcs | EST002-10X5NO |
| HiEnviro-Sponge™ Stick Hydrated w/ 10ml Dey-Engley Neutralizing Broth | sterile 10x5 Pcs | EST003-10X5NO |
| HiEnviro-Sponge™ Stick Hydrated w/10ml Dey-Engley Neutralizing Broth w/o BCP | sterile 10x5 Pcs | EST005-10X5NO |
| HiEnviro-Sponge™ Stick Dry | sterile 10x5 Pcs | PW1372-10X5NO |