Dr Möller & Schmelz

We have been a quality partner to the food and beverages industry for more than 25 years. Over the years the demands on quality assurance in both production as well as in microbiological tests have changed dramatically.Technical progress permitted increased production quantities and faster manufacturing processes. With these innovative developments process and quality controls have to keep step. Especially in the microbiological range the smallest of impurities could lead to immense economic damage.

We at Dr. Möller & Schmelz are involved in quality assurance in the food and beverages industry. Our customers value us as a consultant for microbiological questions and as a fast and reliable supplier of high quality nutrient media for microbiological tests.

Nutrient Pad Sets – Introduction

Nutrient pad sets (NPS) are sterile dehydrated nutrient culture media that are ready for immediate use after addition of sterile water. They are made of biologically inert cellulose cardboard that serves as a substrate for the nutrient solution. Since it does not bind the nutrients either chemically or physically, the nutrient components are completely available for the growth of microorganisms.The composition of the various nutrient solutions used for the various NPS comply with the formulations specified in the relevant standards and regulations.

Nutrient pad sets have a number of advantages over conventional agar media:

• Storage at room temperature
• Shelf life of up to 2 years
• Ready for immediate use after moistening
• Easy handling

Ready-to-use Agar Media and Broth – Introduction

M&S sterile ready-to-use media are filled in autoclavable and break-proof polycarbonate bottles (50 ml and 250 ml) or glass tubes (20 ml). The composition of the various types of media, comply, like the NPS with the formulations specified in the pertinent standards and regulations.

Whereas the liquid media can be used immediately, the agar media first have to be remelted in a water bath at 90 - 100 °C. Once they have cooled down to around 50 °C you can pour agar plates in different sizes and thicknesses to meet your individual demands.

The shelf life of the ready-to-use media in unopened containers is 6 months. Generally the M&S ready-to-use media are offered in three different pack sizes. However, not all types of nutrient medium are available in all sizes in the standard range. 

Standard pack sizes:

• 4 x 250 ml polycarbonate bottles
• 25 x 50 ml polycarbonate bottles
• 25 x 20 ml glass tubes

Filtration Devices

The range of M&S filtration devices and accessories is tailored to routine work in microbiology laboratories to facilitate your daily work.

For example, the M&S stainless steel filtration devices have self-sealing funnels. This means that you do not need to lock the funnel on base of the filtration device. This not only saves time but also minimises the risk of damage to the filtration membrane due to shearing forces. The funnel volume of 100 ml is sufficient for the majority of applications. A 2-way Teflon tap is used to turn the vacuum on and off. What's more, the filtration devices can be completely dismantled. This greatly facilitates their cleaning and sterilisation.

Apart from a single-place filtration device we can also offer stainless steel filtration manifolds. These are ideal for work in benches on account of their compact dimensions. For work with a large quantity of samples a 3-place filtration manifold can quickly and easily be extended to a 6-fold manifold by connecting a second unit. The filtration manifolds can of course be completely dismantled for cleaning.

For laboratories with only few samples or for those wanting to setup their own microbiological quality control we have put together a complete filtration workstation. It consists of a filtration device with suction flask and plug, a Woulff’s bottle with manometer and control valve, a small vacuum pump and the necessary hoses and connectors.

If you have to deal with a larger number of samples, we can offer work stations to meet your needs, e.g. with filtration manifolds, larger suction flasks or more powerful vacuum pumps.