A total organic carbon analysis method for validating cleaning between products in biopharmaceutical manufacturing

The validation of cleaning procedures for biopharmaceutical products produced by recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology presents a diverse analytical challenge. This is because of the need for quantitation of a broad range of potential residual cellular components, including proteins, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids, as well as trace levels of detergents at various manufacturing stages. The validation of a Total Organic Carbon (TOC) analysis method for use in cleaning validation studies is presented. The method has a limit of detection of approximately 0.1 ppm, with a limit of quantitation of 0.5 ppm. TOC analysis has an accuracy of 50 to 70% or better in the 0.5- to 10-ppm range and demonstrates an overall variability of approximately 5%. The method is broadly applicable to a variety of impurities and contaminants that are likely to be encountered following the manufacture of rDNA products.