Improving air sampling

The ability of air to contain and transport liquids, solids, and living substances is frequently overlooked or forgotten. After becoming airborne, organisms are able to contaminate products through air as long as they stay viable, which depends on a number of different parameters. The conditions of sampling and analysis should be considered prior to the choice of the sampler. Microbes are notoriously difficult to assess accurately under variable conditions and no single sampling or assay method is suitable for all applications; rather, the method needs to be tailored to the application of interest. Understanding the airborne behavior of microbes over a range of environmental conditions is vital for recommendation of the handling, sampling, and assessment of bioaerosols. The development of real-time continuous monitoring of airborne microbes is important for the food industry. Given the ability to respond quickly to the findings of continuous monitoring, this kind of system would provide a tool to detect abnormalities, problems, and trends in processes that are not always found with normal short-term periodic sampling