Life Sciences

The pharmaceutical and biotech industry has to meet various hygienic standards.  One of the organizations that is responsible for creating such standards is the, U.S. Pharmacopoeia (USP). The pharmaceutical industry utilizes size grades of water; the most commonly used forms are purified water (PW) and water for injection (WFI). The water is used for compounding, cleaning and as ingredients for products.

One of the accepted in-line indications of ensuring water purity was conductivity. Conductivity at low levels may be expressed as resistance (MΩ/cm), which is simply the inverse of conductivity R=1/C. The U.S. Pharmacopoeia (USP) conductivity standard for PW and WFI is less than 1.3 μS/cm at 25°C for in-line measurement.

Monitoring fermentation processes is important within pharmaceuticals.  During the initial stages of the fermentation process pH of the substrate and dissolved oxygen levels are critical measurement points to ensure that optimal growth is obtained.  Yokogawa offer a wide range of sensors that have proven to withstand the harsh caustic exposure and high temperatures experienced during fermentation without shortening the sensor life. 

Yokogawa’s pharmaceutical line of sensors for pH, dissolved oxygen, and conductivity are developed to fulfill specified temperatures and pressure conditions as the same time withstanding harsh CIP cleaning cycles.