SternVitamin unveils factory with optimum hygiene standards

SternVitamin says it produces all nutrient premixes on plant designed to pharmaceutical standards.

The equipment used is made of stainless steel throughout; housed in an independent and separate part of the factory and meets the most sophisticated requirements.

The plant covers two floors of the building and has rooms for each step in the production process and is ventilated with filtered air.

Besides functional tests, regular monitoring is conducted to measure and control the microbial count of the air.

The premises are divided into hygiene zones, as staff wear protective clothing and enter the production area through personnel air locks.

The door does not open until they have disinfected their hands.

Goods entering and leaving the building pass into the production area through a materials air lock.

A slightly higher air pressure in the production rooms prevents impurities from entering from outside when the high-speed doors are opened.

"When the production plant was built we stressed the importance of optimum cleaning," says Frank Hellerung from Business Development Pharma and Food.

"We have floor drains in every room to permit wet cleaning. Because both the blending equipment and the rooms themselves are washed down regularly and also at the customer's request - including the light switches and door handles. The cleaning process has been validated according to the EU GMP Guide, Part II, which is applicable to the manufacture of pharmaceutical products."