The Matrix Gemini laboratory information management system (LIMS) from Autoscribe Informatics allows quality control (QC) laboratories in the dairy industry to accurately record, evaluate and trace test results throughout the production process.
Matrix Gemini LIMS can be used to automate the logging of samples, expedite the QC tasks, collate and merge all the data and extract management information quickly.
Samples for analysis can be taken at any stage in the dairy production process - from ad hoc sampling at the farmyard, through transportation of the milk to shelf-life tests for the final product and at almost any point in between.
The system can be configured to meet the needs of any dairy process without the need for programming or coding skills, thanks to its graphically-based configuration tools.
Autoscribe Informatics Managing Director John Boother said: “There is a huge range of QC tests that could be required in the dairy industry, some of which will be dependent on the particular product being produced. The flexibility offered by Matrix Gemini’s configuration tools means that workflows, user screens, icons, labels etc can easily be set up to match the required laboratory process flow.
“Using a LIMS to control, manage, organise, document, analyse and report information leads to improved efficiency and functionality of data storage and manipulation,” he added. “For example, large customers like supermarkets, may demand to see a 'Certificate of Conformance' on a batch by batch basis. Matrix Gemini enables these to be generated automatically and e-mailed to the customer. At a different level, the system can expedite the release of milk from quarantine into the production process by automatically issuing pass/fail results based on tests at that stage of the process.”
Built-in features simplify QC control sample testing, while charting functions make trend analysis and reporting easy.
All activities relating to samples, tests, resources, projects, suppliers and customers are flagged with a revision number, time, date and user ID so that the system provides comprehensive audit trails and provides version control of all reference data such as test definitions.
Matrix Gemini allows management reports to be quickly compiled.
One example would be the average bacterial counts of the product over time for different batches, or variations over time. This ensures that quality can be monitored and, if necessary, actions taken to improve quality.
