FAQs

As a technologically advanced, science-based food safety and public health program, the BDIC helps businesses, such as hospitals, hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, and other companies, achieve a cleaner, safer, and healthier practices using our innovative wave alternating UV technology to assess surface cleanliness. The BDIC is awarded to companies that adhere to these rigorous standards and undergo periodic audits. The BDIC draws on the expertise BDIC has gained from decades of experience in hospital sanitation and our partnerships with some of the most prestigious hospitality and foodservice brands around the world. The program includes our advanced surface contamination detection and preventative controls system and public health and food safety training. In addition, it has periodic audits that help verify procedures are being followed. The BDIC l can only be earned by businesses that have met the program’s criteria and signify that they have committed to delivering a higher level of cleanliness.

By leveraging our experience delivering programs that advance cleaner, safer practices for some of the largest hospitality, foodservice, and food retail brands, BDIC is uniquely qualified to provide a program that improves food safety and public health. As a result of the BDIC program, you can achieve a higher level of cleanliness. Program auditors carry out rigorous training and audits for front-line hospitality and foodservice employees, ensuring they implement effective cleaning and disinfecting practices.

BDIC confirms cleaning and disinfecting procedures are followed through periodic audits to ensure protocols are in place to address a range of widely recognized and emerging food safety and public health issues, including the COVID-19 virus. An audit conducted by BDIC also verifies whether participating businesses follow local and federal public health regulations.

Bacteria are covered by a thin, hard outer layer called the S-layer that protects the bacteria from the environment. The S-layers in bacteria cells are composed of an array of two-dimensional proteins with a crystalline structure. BDIC detects these protein shells with the help of high calibration LED wavelengths that work at the edges of the UV spectrum. By utilizing four separate UV wavelengths, once merged, will bounce off the protein crystal and emit an unmistakable green glow, often described as a green hue. Bactiscan’s™ unique wave altering UV system enables users to immediately identify and isolate biofilms, mold, and bacteria such as listeria, E. coli, salmonella Montevideo and pseudomonas Aeruginosa.

BDIC monitoring is a rapid examination technique widely used by food and beverage processors to determine whether product contact and equipment surfaces are clean. Using wave alternating UV technology, BDIC detects bacteria, biofilms, mold, and organic residues on surfaces. The presence of these on the surface indicates improper cleaning and contamination, including the presence of food residue, allergens, or bacteria. As a result, the surface may harbor and support bacterial growth. It is used in food and beverage processing facilities and many industries to minimize contamination through effective sanitation processes. In addition, the BDIC monitoring system ensures the integrity and shelf life of products and protects the reputation of brands.

The BDIC system is used around the globe and is recognized by food and beverage processors for validating cleaning processes in compliance with government and HACCP regulations

BDIC monitoring systems are used in many hospitals worldwide to measure cleanliness. It is expected that the proportion of hospitals utilizing BDIC monitoring will continue to rise as hospitals battle rising healthcare-associated infection (HAI) rates and increasing demand for cleaner facilities.

The BDIC has been independently validated by scientist the leading international food testing, and safety laboratory, (Assessment of BDIC instrument for detection of food industry biofilms – November 2020) and proved the BDIC to be effective in detecting surface bacterial contamination. In addition, the Bactiscan’s efficacy has been solidly established through its continuous use by some of the world’s largest food production, dairy, brewery, and pharmaceutical companies.

In a receptive environment, surface biofilms are formed when microorganisms are exposed to moisture and food. Through the secretion of sticky polymers, populations of microorganisms attach themselves to surfaces. As long as the biofilm persists, sanitizers are ineffective since the bacteria are protected by the matrix and reinforced by it. As a result, biofilms can decrease the quality of products and cause loss of products due to contamination, and consequently cause equipment and product damage. By identifying food residue early and removing it, you can limit the potential for biofilm formation by eliminating the source of microbes that might form biofilms.

Unlike ATP testing, you have the flexibility to before or after or before and after cleaning and sanitization. Also, unlike ATP, the use of sanitizers will not affect the accuracy of the BDIC device.

Cleaning involves removing organic material and reducing the likelihood of contamination or microbial growth. Microbiological hazards can be reduced by disinfection to a minimum, but not necessarily eliminated completely. Sterilization destroys and inactivates all microbial hazards.

In contrast to other monitoring technologies, BDIC quickly scans all surfaces, including food-contact zones (direct and indirect). Any contaminants present on direct contact surfaces can contaminate the final product. The indirect contact points are those where dust, liquid, or splashed product has the potential to drip, drain, or transfer to the end product. Filler heads, O-rings, nozzles, and surfaces with irregular shapes, corners, grooves, and cracks can be among the hardest to clean.

Surfaces do not have to be dry to perform a BDIC test. However, for consistency, consider scanning surfaces in the same conditions (either always wet or always dry).

In healthcare facilities, visual inspections are no longer sufficient to ensure cleanliness. BDIC testing is becoming increasingly popular among healthcare professionals around the globe as a means of assessing the cleanliness of surfaces and medical instruments after they have been cleaned. In the old method of cleaning verification, a supervisor would visit a room after a patient was discharged and mark surfaces with a fluorescent gel pen. Once the environmental services staff had completed cleaning the room, the supervisor would visit the room to inspect the surfaces. During this inspection, a supervisor wasted valuable time, and the assessment was not measurable, and it held up room turnover. Using BDIC, supervisors only need to visit a room once. In addition, BDIC surface scanning takes a few seconds and can objectively quantify the cleanliness of a room. This process enables rooms to be turned over more quickly, supervisors to accomplish more work, and cleaning staff to be held accountable with actual, quantified data.

In contrast to ATP monitoring, BDIC monitoring offers flexibility in tailoring and integrating into your cleaning and sanitization protocols. As an alternative to ATP monitoring systems, Bactiscan can easily be used to determine the efficacy of cleaning before and after the cleaning process. There is a strong recommendation made by the manufacturers of ATP swabs not to use the swabs on dirty or soiled surfaces, as they always result in Fail results for the test. Although they do make an exception for sanitation companies and chemical suppliers who use pre-clean and post-clean ATP tests to demonstrate the effectiveness of cleaning products, they mention that these tests are not to be confused with regular ATP monitoring programs. Additionally, they emphasized that ATP monitoring should only be performed after cleaning and not before and after cleaning. ATP manufacturers, also state that hospitals do not need to monitor every single location available, but only a statistically representative sample in order to gather sufficient data for reporting and results in interpretation. Those recommendations are troublesome and are a major difference between Bactiscan monitoring and ATP monitoring because those recommendations increase the risk of statistically significant contaminations. Can the Bactiscan system detect Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or Clostridium difficile (C. diff) on a surface? No, not specifically. Microbiological testing methods, which can take several days to produce results, are the only way to identify MRSA and C. diff. The Bactiscan environmental system only detects the presence of bacteria, biofilms, mold and organic materials on surfaces, not specific strains of bacteria. If surfaces are cleaned properly, they will not have the organic material needed to foster bacterial growth.

The BDIC provides a high-sensitivity method for detecting surface contamination, suitable for sterile services. Using BDIC testing before terminal sterilization ensures the endoscopes and surgical instruments have been thoroughly cleaned and is ready for terminal sterilization. To verify the cleanliness of endoscopes, the BDIC can be used in conjunction with ATP test devices. The ATP test device cannot swab the entire surfaces of the endoscope or surgical instruments. This can be quickly and accurately performed by the Bactiscan. An EndoSwab sample collection device is then used to collect samples from the main endoscope channel to determine if the internal channel has been effectively cleaned.

Using UV, Ozone, or HPV to kill bacteria will usually produce lethal results on surfaces. Each of these technologies recommends thorough cleaning before application, so in order to ensure successful sterilization. Therefore, cleaning thoroughness should be verified before sterilization. Using BDIC testing before terminal sterilization ensures the room has been thoroughly cleaned and is ready for UV, Ozone, or HPV sterilization. In addition, BDIC testing should be used after terminal sterilization to ensure cleaning has been thoroughly performed because sometimes UV light sterilization tools are not producing the appropriate UV levels to perform effectively, thus leaving residual microbes on the treated surfaces. Therefore, using a BDIC, you can determine whether the UV sterilization tools you are using are consistently and effectively destroying viruses and bacteria, by the presence of microbial residues on the surfaces after terminal sterilization.

The BDIC is well-priced and does not require any consumables. Furthermore, BDIC increases the accuracy and reduces the cost of conventional microbial detection methods. In addition to preventing infectious complications for consumers and patients, BDIC also saves money by reducing product loss due to contamination.

The BDIC environmental monitoring and preventative control system self-calibrate at start-up to ensure accurate readings. To further verify calibration, we offer an annual calibration at our company. A documented calibration process demonstrates that due diligence has been taken to ensure that the system is performing at its highest standard. As a result of new technology, the BDIC will stay calibrated for the life of the device. You can request a quote for calibration here if you need a manufacturer's calibration as part of your quality program. BDIC comes with a 1-year warranty. In the event that your device becomes damaged or non-operational, BDIC will immediately replace it with a loaner so that you will not experience any interruptions in your testing program.

BDIC systems are available worldwide. We have direct resellers throughout the globe. To contact us, please use the contact form on any product page or go to our contact page.