MICROBIAL SPOILAGE

B. Pharm III year

Pharmaceutical Microbiology

By

Dr. Abhishek Pandey

Assistant Professor

School of Studies in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jiwaji University,

Gwalior
 DEFINITION
• The action or process of spoiling, especially the deterioration of
food and other perishable goods.
• Any change which renders a product unacceptable for human
consumption.
• One of the major reason that led to preservation.

• MICROBIAL SPOILAGE: This refers to damage to food,

pharmaceutical products that is caused by micro organisms
(bacteria, moulds and yeasts). Micro organisms can grow in
almost all kinds of food products. As micro-organisms occur
everywhere around us, there is always a risk of microbial
spoilage.
 TYPES OF
•
SPOILAGE
MICROBIAL SPOILAGE
• NON-MICROBIAL SPOILAGE

• Based on rate of spoilage: There are three types-

Highly perishable: Meat, Fish, Egg, Milk, Most fruits and
Vegetables.
Semi perishable: Potatoes, Some Apple Varities, Nut meats.
Non-perishable or stable: Sugar, Flour, Dry Beans.

• PHARMACEUTICAL SPOILAGE
 PHARMACEUTICAL SPOILAGE

• Spoilage of pharmaceutical products and drugs are

referred as the changes in the physical and chemical
properties in such a way that the formulation or
therapeutic agent gets deteriorate and become not
suitable for use.
• Pharmaceutical product is a combination of two things:

1.Active drug 2. Formulation additives

If there is any change in their efficacy, action, etc. it is said
to be spoiled product which can not be used.
 PHARMACEUTICAL
SPOILAGE
• There are several factors that cause pharmaceutical
spoilage: Mainly, we study about microbial
spoilage of pharmaceutical products.

PHYSICAL CHEMICAL MICROBIAL

Deterioration of Deterioration of Deterioration of
pharmaceuticals pharmaceuticals pharmaceuticals
due to physical due to chemical due to
factors like, heat, reactions like contamination of
temperature, oxidation, any microbial cell
evaporation, etc. reduction, like bacteria,
hydrolysis, fungi, moulds, etc.
photolysis,
ionization, etc.
 MICROBIAL SPOILAGE OF
PHARMACEUTICALS
• Microbial spoilage includes the microbial contamination
of pharmaceutical products with the microbes which
lead to spoilage of product affecting the drug safety and
quality and is not intended for use.
• Shortly, microbial spoilage of pharmaceutical products
is the deterioration of pharmaceuticals with contaminant
microbes.
• It decreases the stability and intensity of the product.
 TYPES OF MICROBIAL
SPOILAGE

PHYSIO-CHEMICAL CHEMICAL BIOLOGICAL

 VIABLE GROWTH  HYDROLYSIS  RELEASE OF
 GAS PRODUCTION  ACETYLATION TOXINS
 PHYSICAL  DEPOLYMERIZATIO  MICROBIAL
SPOILAGE N METABOLITES
 OLFACTORY  DEGRADATION/
 COLORATION METABOLISATION
PHYSIO-CHEMICAL
In this kind of spoilage, there are some chemical changes
are caused by microbial species and due to these changes
the physical properties are also gets altered or deteriorate,
thus it is called the physico-chemical spoilage.
1.VIABLE GROWTH: In this kind of spoilage,
microbial cells form a visible layer over the surface of
pharmaceutical formulations. This layer or the presence
of microbial cell can be clearly seen by naked eyes.
Example: layer of moulds over syrups or sugar
containing products, creams, ointments.
2. COLORATION: Color change occurs due to the
alteration in components of chemical nature, and these
changes are caused by change in pH of the formulation,
redox of the product, production of some other metabolites
by microorganisms.
Example: Pseudomonas species microorganism metabolize
wide range of metabolites that cause coloration of blue-green,
brown.
Surface decoloration of tablets containing biological products
by some moulds.
3. GAS PRODUCTION: Some microorganisms
contaminants in pharmaceutical formulations produces gases
by their metabolic activities and form gas bubbles and
broth/foam over the formulation.
Formulations containing carbohydrates or starchy material are
more susceptible for gas production.
Example: production of CO2 in syrups caused by osmo-
toleranmt mould and yeasts.
Klebsiella produces gas in creams and ointments containing
vitamins and proteins.
Desulphovibrio oxidise simple organic compounds and
produces hydrogen sulphide in suspensions.
4. PHYSICAL SPOILAGE: These are some changes in
physical appearance caused by microbial cell activities.
Example: In emulsions, some microbial cells cause
hydrolysis of oil phase, cause change in oil-water
equillibrium and make emulsion unstable.Hydrolysis of oils
also affect pH of formulation and alter the stability of
emulsions.
In syrups, microbial cells metabolise sugar molecules, and due
to which the concentration of syrup change and product
become unstable.
5. Olfactory spoilage: Spoilage by some organisms and
moulds generates unpleasant smell from the product. This
kind of spoilage mainly caused by microbial cella that
produces sulphur containing gases[SO2, H2S] and fishy
smell due to formation of fatty acids along with odour
generates by amines and alcohol production.
Example: Contamination in syrup of Tolu by penicilin
spp. Produces toluene like smell.
Actinomycetes produces smell of geosmine in water phase
used for formulations.
 CHEMICAL
SPOILAGE
There are various types of chemical spoilage in
pharmaceutical compound, these occurs due to various
types of chemical reactions, mediated by contaminating
microorganisms.
1. HYDROLYSIS: Some bacterial cells contains enzymes
that catalyse hydrolysis of pharmaceuticals.
Example: Atropine hydrolysed by Pseudomonas bacteria.
Aspirin hydrolysed by esterase producing bacteria. Gelatin
hydrolysed by Bacillus and Clostridium species.
2. ACETYLATION: Some microorganisms cellular
enzymes
cause acetylation of drugs and cause loss of activity.
Example: Chloramphenicol acetylation caused by
staphylococci and streptococci gram +ve bacteria by the
enzyme chloramphenicol acetyl-transferase.
3.DEPOLYMERISATION: It is a process in which the
polymers are degraded to their monomers. A lots of
polymers are used in formulation of many type of
pharmaceutical preparations as diluents, binders, thickening,
suspending agents, etc.
Example: Starch- depolymerize by bacterial amylase
Pectin- depolymerize by bacterial pectinase
Dextran- depolymerize by bacterial dextranase
Cellulase- depolymerize by bacterial cellulase.
4.DEGRADATION: Due to the microbial contamination, the
active therapeutic agents or the formulation ingredients can
be degraded or metabolized.
Examples: Penicilin: degrade by batalactamase containing
bacterial cells
Fatty acids metabolized by some moulds Prednison degraded
by aspergillus species bacteria.
 BIOLOGICAL SPOILAGE:
Some bacterial cells contaminated the pharmaceuticals and
utilize the various compounds present in that formulation to
perform their metabolic activities. Due to these metabolic
activities, the microbial cells produces certain chemicals
which they release in pharmaceutical preparations. This is
called biological spoilage.
Mainly two types of chemicals released by the
microorganisms:
1.Microbial toxins 2.Microbial metabolites
MICROBIAL TOXINS: Several microorganisms produce
toxic molecules that may cause spoilage of pharmaceutical
fomulations. Such as endotoxins produced by some gram –
ve bacterias like E.coli.
Exotoxins by clostridium botulinum.
MICROBIAL METABOLITES: Bacterial metabolites are
the biosynthetic products from microbial cells. Bacterial
cells produces various metabolites which cause product
spoilage bcoz these metabolites are toxic to humans.
Examples are different amines and organic acids from
bacterial cells. Metabolites from fungi and moulds.
Fungi and moulds are more specifically grow on the
formulations having Talc, kaolin, and starch.
 REASON OF
CONTAMINATION

• The product gets contaminate due to various reasons

like

Accidentally exposure to the environment

Improper storage conditions
Inadequate preparation of formulation
Improper sterilization
 FACTORS AFFECTING SPOILAGE OF
PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS

• By understanding the influence of environmental parameters on

microorganisms, it may be possible to manipulate formulations to create
conditions which are as unfavorable as possible for growth and
spoilage, within the limitations of patient acceptability and therapeutic
efficacy.
• The factors that affects the spoilage of
spoilage:
NUTRITIONAL FACTOR
MOISTURE CONTENT
REDOX POTENTIAL
STORAGE TEMPERATURE
pH
PACKAGING DESIGN AND DESIGN
• NUTRITIONAL FACTOR:
Presence of nutritional material enable or favours microorganisms
to utilize these nutritional material as energy source and
proliferate over pharmaceutical products.
In any formulation the presence of vegetable/herbal extract or
animal tissue or tissue extract provides nutritional support to
microbial cells.
Demineralized water[prepared by ion exchange method] also
contain some nutritional material which support the growth of
Pseudomonas bacteria.
More complex formulation are more supportive for microbial
growth.
• MOISTURE CONTENT[Water Activity]
Microorganisms readily need water or moisture to
grow. The presence of uncomplexed water in any
formulation supports microbial growth. Greater the
solute concentration, lesser the activity.

When solutes dissolved in water they form

hydrogen and other bonds with water and form
complexed water, the free or unbounded water
molecules are termed as uncomplexed water, and
this uncomplexed water supports microbial growth.
 CON
MICROORGANISM WATER ACTIVITY

CLOSTRIDIUM BOTULINIUM
T… 0.94

ESCHERICHIA COLI 0.93

SALMONELLA SPP. 0.94

SHIGELLA SPP. 0.96

Moisture films over viscous syrups can also increase water

activity and support growth of fungi and yeast.
Some halophilic bacterial grows in high salt conditions.
Minimal water activity for some microbial cells for
growth.
 REDOX POTENTIAL:
• The oxidation-reduction or the Redox potential is defined as
the ratio of the total oxidizing [electron accepting] power to
the total reduction [electron donating power of substance],
or in more easy way it’s a property of any chemical to give
or accept electrons.
• Microbial growth in any environment is influenced by its
oxidation reduction balance i.e. redox reaction. Electron
transfer is major factor for energy production. If the oxygen
is present in any formulation, then this condition favours
microbial growth, if any product gets infected by microbial
cell.
 PACKAGING MATERIAL AND
DESIGN:

• Packaging can have major influence on microbial

contamination and spoilage of pharmaceuticals. Multi
dose containers are more affected by microbial
contamination because they are again and again exposed
to environment when the drug is withdrawn from
container.
• Wide opening mouth containers that contain formulations
of vegetable oils, protein, vitamin, animal extracts, are
readily contaminated as they provide large surface area
exposure to the environment.
 Cont
…
• STORAGE TEMPERATURE:
• The pharmaceutical formulation can affected by microbial cell
between the temperature range of -20℃ − 60℃.
• Below -20℃ almost no microbial contamination is observed
and the same as above 60℃ , microbial growth supressed. The
reason for that is inactivation and denaturation of cellular
enzymes, which responsible for cell metabolic activities.
• Water for injection is stored at 80℃ before preparation to
minimize bacterial growth and to prevent bacterial activity to
produce and release pyrogens to the water.
 pH of Pharmaceutical formulations:
• pH is represent as the potential of hydrogen ions. Some
bacterial cells are grown better in Acidic medium and
some are in basic medium, this happens because in their
favourable pH the enzymes of bacterial cells are more
active to perform their metabolic activities.
• Some preparations of pH around 5-6 favours growth of
moulds but inhibit bacterial growth.
• Some preparations having pH of 3-4 favours growth of
moulds and yeast, i.e. fruit juice flavouredsyrups.
• Some preparations of neutral pH like mouthwashes,
distilled water, antacid preparations are contaminated
by bacterial cells i.e. pseudomonas spp.
• Basic pH formulations inhibit bacterial growth,
i.e. magnesium and aluminium hydroxide gel,
etc.
• Sometime primary fungal growth occurs in any
product, these fungal cell metabolize the
chemical andproduce acids and raise the pH of
formulations and favours secondary bacterial
growth.
THANK YOU !!!