New EN ISO 22964 for Cronobacter spp. detection in the food chain

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published the new EN ISO 22964:2017 standard, which specifies a horizontal method for the detection of Cronobacter spp. in food, animal feed and environmental samples.

It is applicable to food products and ingredients intended for human consumption and the feeding of animals, and environmental samples in the area of food production and food handling. Compared to the previous ISO/TS 22964:2006, the main changes are considered as major. In the new EN ISO 22964:2017, the scope has been extended to detect Cronobacter spp. according to new taxonomy from 2014.

Cronobacter spp. are those microorganisms which form typical colonies on chromogenic Cronobacter isolation (CCI) agar and which display the described biochemical characteristics when tests are carried out in accordance with this new standard.

To enable customers to follow EN ISO 22964:2017, We have released the newly described Cronobacter Selective Broth (CSB) and CCI agar products.

New EN ISO 22964 at a glance

• EN ISO 22964 replaces previous Technical Standard ISO/TS 22964 IIDF/RM 210:2006
• Scope extended to Cronobacter spp.
• Modified Lauryl Sulfate Tryptose broth (mLST) replaced by Cronobacter Selective Broth (CSB)
• Enterobacter sakazakii Isolation Agar (ESIA) replaced by Chromogenic Cronobacter Isolation (CCI) agar
• Several confirmation tests replaced by other tests
• Performance testing for the quality assurance of the culture media now included
• Results from method validation studies and performance characteristics included

New products

• 1.20597.0500 GranuCult^® CSB (Cronobacter Selective Broth) base acc. ISO 22964
• 1.20595.0010 CSB Selective supplement Vancomycin) acc. EN ISO 22964
• 1.20596.0500 Chromocult^® CCI (Chromogenic Cronobacter Isolation) agar acc. ISO 22964

Procedure steps for Cronobacter spp. detection according to the new EN ISO 22964:2017 standard.

As a worldwide leading provider of a broad range of dehydrated granulated and ready-to-use culture media for food, beverages and water microbiology, we closely track and support the development of relevant standards aimed at increasing consumer confidence and safety. Our GranuCult^® granulated media, Readybag^® pre-weighed granulated media in ready-to-use bags, ReadyPlate™, and ReadyTube™ ready-to-use media are all compliant with EN ISO 11133:2014 and the specific standards. All information regarding compliance with additional reference standards are displayed on the product label and in the product’s technical information available on our website.

Compliance to New EN ISO 22964:2017

We have implemented all the requirements described in the new EN ISO 22964. The following culture media and accessories described in the new EN ISO 22964:2017 are available – Materials Table.