The global demand for herbal medicines continues to grow and evolve by blending traditional botanical knowledge with modern pharmaceutical standards. For today’s professional herbalists operating in a regulated market microbiological testing is not just best practice, it is a regulatory and ethical responsibility.
When herbal products are manufactured under pharmaceutical conditions, microbiological quality control becomes essential to ensure safety, stability, and compliance.
At Rutland Biodynamics our QC/QA Laboratory is on hand to ensure your tinctures are safe and effective. Located onsite, the lab conducts microbiological testing on all our products. Established in 1991, the lab has grown to occupy two floors within the facility, one dedicated to microbiology and the other phytochemistry.
Our laboratory follows strict Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and quality control protocols. We implement:
✔ Controlled sampling procedures
✔ Calibrated and validated equipment
✔ Growth promotion testing
✔ Environmental monitoring
✔ Documented data review and trending
✔ Continuous staff training and assessment
✔ Research and development of new products
✔ Results to Pharmacopoeia standards
The lab is GMP (Good Manufacturing practices) certified ensuring that products are consistently produced and controlled according to quality standards appropriate for their intended use. This ensures each batch produced includes-:
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Manufacturing instructions
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In-process controls
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QC test results
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Final batch release
Every batch is evaluated to ensure it meets established microbiological specifications before release.
Depending on product type, testing may include:
Bile tolerant gram-negative- Pathogen Screening to identify harmful organisms such as Escherichia coli
Total Aerobic Microbial Count (TAMC) – Measures aerobic bacteria are within limits
Total Yeast and Mould Count (TYMC) – Detects fungal/yeast contamination
Certificates of Analysis (CoA) for Rutland products for each batch can be viewed on the website.
Product quality and product safety are at the heart of everything we do at RBD. Processes are validated, reviewed and updated to ensure that the Quality Management System (QMS) is robust and meeting both GMP and other customer specific requirements. In the context of our GMP accreditation we are audited and licenced by the MHRA (UK Department of Health) and we receive audits from both UK and international customers. throughout the year.
