Insect Production Services

Quality control

Maintaining client satisfaction and the continued availability of insects requires healthy colonies. The Insect Production Services (IPS) quality assurance program involves production, process and product control for all insect colonies.

Production control procedures allow IPS to manage the consistency, reliability and timeliness of production output for each insect colony. Diet ingredients, equipment, environments, schedules and personnel are monitored throughout production so that any performance deviations can be corrected immediately.

Process control procedures ensure that unacceptable deviations do not occur in product quality. Colonies are monitored at multiple stages during production, using defined indicators to assess quality and minimize variance from predetermined standards. Continuous analysis of process control data allows IPS to identify causes of variability and to implement immediate corrective action before deviations cause problems in colonies. The rearing methods used allow IPS to eliminate poor performers or developers at multiple stages of development, to ensure the health and vigour of the colonies. Process control records also allow IPS to predict future performance of every cohort of each colony maintained.

Product control procedures allow IPS to ensure that each insect colony conforms to high quality standards that meet client requirements. Unique among multi-species rearing facilities, IPS conducts routine microbial screening for every mating chamber of all cohorts of the colonies. At minimum, each lot is screened for the presence of cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus, nucleopolyhedrosis virus and multiple species of microsporidia to ensure that disease does not become established in IPS colonies. Each shipment of insects includes lot identification so that client feedback can be tracked against quality control records, enabling IPS to identify areas for product refinement or improvement.

Quality control facility

Production, process and product controls for all insect colonies are monitored in the IPS quality control facility. Separate from the insectarium, the quality control facility consists of an analytical laboratory and office space.

The analytical laboratory contains a broad array of sophisticated equipment. The IPS team can also access numerous other types of equipment and services within the Great Lakes Forestry Centre research complex, including electron microscopy (both TEM and scanning), fluorescence microscopy, and spectrophotometry. This allows the IPS team to undertake a wide range of activities, including:

  • pathogen production and purification
  • histological preparation, staining and microscopic examination
  • PCR detection
  • REN analysis
  • DNA hybridization assay.

The quality control office space contains computers used for quality control records, including electronic monitoring and tracking of environmental conditions within the rearing rooms and chambers.