Reference Ontology Candidates
This ontology serves as a staging area for candidate constructs developed within the BMIC and proposed for inclusion in IOF reference ontologies such as IOF Core. The content represents cross-cutting concepts intended for broad reuse across industrial domains.
Cameron Gibbs, CrownPoint Technologies, LLC
Melissa Weller, CrownPoint Technologies, LLC
Stephen J. Granite, CrownPoint Technologies, LLC
Stephen Kahmann, CrownPoint Technologies, LLC
Copyright (c) 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 Open Applications Group
acceptance criteria
An analytical specification for a drug substance has as part acceptance criteria requiring residual host cell protein to be not more than 100 ng/mg protein; A batch release specification has as part acceptance criteria requiring product purity to be at least 95 %; A drug product specification has as part acceptance criteria requiring endotoxin to be not more than 0.25 EU/mL; An acceptance criterion for PVC resin intended for general-purpose applications requires residual vinyl chloride to be less than 1 ppm; An acceptance criterion for drinking water requires lead concentration to be not more than 15 ppb.
https://database.ich.org/sites/default/files/Q6B%20Guideline.pdf and https://www.fda.gov/files/drugs/published/Process-Validation--General-Principles-and-Practices.pdf
1) In the ICH specifications (Q6B) context, acceptance criteria are defined as “numerical limits, ranges, or other suitable measures for acceptance of the results of analytical procedures” (applying to drug substance, drug product, or materials at other manufacturing stages). 2) In a process-validation context, protocols are expected to include tests and acceptance criteria for significant processing steps, i.e., criteria used to judge whether process performance is acceptable.
AcceptanceCriteria(x) → RequirementSpecification(x)
requirement specification that has as parts one or more limits, ranges, or other conditions used to determine whether an entity is acceptable for a specified purpose
There are insufficient constructs to create necessary and sufficient conditions. In particular, constructs for exhaustively representing conditions that are parts of acceptance criteria are missing.
if x is an 'acceptance criteria' then x is a 'requirement specification'
manufacturing capability
the capability of a technician to perform aseptic connections during a formulation procedure; the capability of a mixing vessel to achieve uniform suspension of components during buffer preparation; the capability of a fill-finish robot to accurately dispense liquid into vials; capability of a cooling tunnel in a candy factory to drop the product temperature and stabilize the shape, making the downstream wrapping operation possible; kneading capacity of a blender that allows for obtaining a uniform paste of plastic compound able to be extruded
the capability of a chromatography system to analyze protein purity during analytical method development - realizable in quality control or R&D, not in manufacturing; the capability of a liquid handling robot to automate compound dispensing during a high-throughput screening (HTS) assay in a clinical trial biomarker study
LA1:Capability(x) ∧ ∃y((Agent(y) ∨ PieceOfEquipment(y)) ∧ capabilityOf(x, y)) ∧ ∃z(hasRealization(x, z) ∧ (ManufacturingProcess(z) ∨ ∃p(ManufacturingProcess(p) ∧ occurrentPartOf(z, p)))) → ManufacturingCapability(x)
LA2:ManufacturingCapability(x) → Capability(x) ∧ ∃y((Agent(y) ∨ PieceOfEquipment(y)) ∧ capabilityOf(x,y))
capability of an agent or a piece of equipment that is realizable in a manufacturing process or its part
This class is expected to remain primitive as it is difficult to find a set of mutually necessary and sufficient conditions.
LA1: if x is a 'capability' and x is the 'capability of' some 'agent' or 'piece of equipment' and x 'has realization' in some 'manufacturing process' or in some 'occurrent part of' a 'manufacturing process', then x is a 'manufacturing capability'
LA2: if x is a 'manufacturing capability' then x is a 'capability' that is the 'capability of' some 'agent' or some 'piece of equipment'
material addition process
addition of a concentrated glucose-amino-acid feed solution during fed-batch mammalian cell culture to replenish nutrients; addition of a wash or elution buffer during chromatography; addition of resuspended cells to fresh culture medium to initiate cultivation; addition of polypropylene glycol during microbial fermentation for foam control; sparging of air during mammalian cell culture to supply oxygen; addition of aluminum sulfate solution during water treatment prior to flocculation; addition of a phthalate plasticizer during PVC compounding; addition of an internal standard solution to a sample before chromatographic analysis
1) A material addition process may occur as part of a broader planned process. Material put-away, loading, unloading, or other material handling processes may include a material addition process as a part without themselves being material addition processes. 2) In a material addition process, the material entity that is physically introduced is modeled as an input bearing transferred material role, while the material entity or site into or onto which it is introduced bears material addition target role. 3) The added entity may be bulk material, a discrete material entity, or a containerized material entity.
MaterialAdditionProcess(x) → PlannedProcess(x) ∧ ∃m ∃mr (MaterialEntity(m) ∧ TransferredMaterialRole(mr) ∧ hasInput(x, m) ∧ hasRole(m, mr)) ∧ ∃t ∃tr ((Site(t) ∨ MaterialEntity(t)) ∧ MaterialAdditionTargetRole(tr) ∧ hasParticipantAtSomeTime(x, t) ∧ hasRole(t, tr))
planned process that physically introduces a material entity into or onto a material entity or site
There are insufficient constructs to create a set of necessary and sufficient conditions
if x is a 'material addition process' then x is a 'planned process' that 'has input' some 'material entity' that 'has role' some 'transferred material role', and 'has participant at some time' some 'site' or 'material entity' that 'has role' some 'material addition target role'
material addition target role
cell culture bearing material addition target role when feed medium is added to it during cultivation; flask bearing material addition target role when a 5 g powder portion is added during solution preparation; production bioreactor bearing material addition target role when fresh culture medium is charged to it before cultivation; sample solution bearing material addition target role when an internal standard is added prior to chromatographic analysis; chocolate paste bearing material addition target role when flavor essences are added during conching; pre-treated water bearing material addition target role when gaseous chlorine is added during disinfection
Material addition target role identifies the material entity or site into or onto which material is physically introduced. Use this role for the target into or onto which material is physically introduced. Do not use it for the material being introduced. The introduced material bears transferred material role.
MaterialAdditionTargetRole(x) → Role(x) ∧ ∃b ((MaterialEntity(b) ∨ Site(b)) ∧ roleOf(x, b))
role held by a material entity or site when a material entity is being, or is planned to be, physically introduced into or onto it
There are insufficient constructs to create necessary and sufficient conditions.
if x is a 'material addition target role' then x is a 'role' that is the 'role of' some 'material entity' or some 'site'
material impurity
residual solvent remaining after chemical synthesis; oxidation product formed during storage of a biologic; trace contaminant present in a raw material lot
See expanded definition under the corresponding role class. The term is formalized here as a defined class by referring to its corresponding role class and exists primarily for ontological modeling and implementation convenience.
MaterialImpurity(x) ↔ MaterialEntity(x) ∧ ∃r(MaterialImpurityRole(r) ∧ hasRole(x,r))
material entity which has the material impurity role
every instance of 'material impurity' is defined as exactly an instance of 'material entity' that 'has role' some 'material impurity role'
material impurity role
material impurity role of residual solvent remaining after synthesis; material impurity role of oxidation product formed during storage of a biologic; material impurity role of a trace contaminant present in a raw material lot
http://purl.allotrope.org/ontologies/role#AFRL_0000364 and http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/CHEBI_143130 and https://database.ich.org/sites/default/files/Q6B%20Guideline.pdf
1) A material entity bearing a material impurity role is a non-target constituent in the material entity it is a part of arising from manufacturing, storage, handling, or use. 2) In pharmaceutical manufacturing, impurities are controlled because their presence or amount may affect product quality, safety, efficacy, or stability. Acceptable levels may be established as part of the control strategy based on the known or potential impact of the impurity, available qualification data, and the capability of the manufacturing process to control its formation or removal. An impurity may be progressively reduced or cleared across multiple manufacturing steps rather than controlled by a limit at every intermediate stage. 3) Bearing material impurity role does not imply that the impurity exceeds an acceptance criterion.
MaterialImpurityRole(x) → Role(x) ∧ ∃a∃b(roleOf(x,a) ∧ MaterialEntity(a) ∧ continuantPartOfAtSomeTime(a,b) ∧ (MaterialProduct(b) ∨ ProcessIntermediateMaterial(b) ∨ ProductionConsumable(b) ∨ RawMaterial(b)))
role of a material entity that is present within a process intermediate material, raw material, production consumable, or material product and that is not included in the material composition defined for the relevant stage of manufacture, handling, storage, or release
There are insufficient constructs to create necessary and sufficient conditions. In particular all the constructs necessary for representing not being a defined or specified part of the entity in question are missing
if x is a 'material impurity role' then x is a 'role' that is the 'role of' some 'material entity' that is a 'continuant part of at some time' some 'material product', 'process intermediate material', 'production consumable', or 'raw material'
material removal process
cell bleed during a perfusion culture process, in which a portion of cell-containing culture material is withdrawn from the culture system; product-containing harvest stream withdrawal during a perfusion culture process through a cell retention system; permeate withdrawal during tangential flow filtration; removal of unreacted vinyl chloride monomer from a PVC polymerization reactor by flashing and steam stripping; retrieval of a pallet from a pallet racking storage system; withdrawal of a culture sample from a bioreactor for subsequent analytical testing; liquid sample withdrawal from a sample vial by aspiration for analytical measurement
1) A material removal process may occur as part of a broader planned process. Material picking, loading, unloading, sampling, harvest, clarification, purification, recovery, or transport processes may include a material removal process as a part without themselves being material removal processes. 2) The withdrawn entity may be bulk material or a containerized material entity, such as a vial or bag containing material. 3) Material removal process should also be distinguished from uses of “removal” that refer to reducing, separating, clearing, or inactivating something within a material stream, such as viral removal, impurity removal, or host-cell protein removal. 4) In a material removal process, the material entity that is physically withdrawn is modeled as a specified output bearing transferred material role, while the material entity or site from which it is withdrawn bears material withdrawal source role.
MaterialRemovalProcess(x) → PlannedProcess(x) ∧ ∃s∃sr((Site(s) ∨ MaterialEntity(s)) ∧ MaterialWithdrawalSourceRole(sr) ∧ hasParticipantAtSomeTime(x,s) ∧ hasRole(s,sr)) ∧ ∃m∃mr(MaterialEntity(m) ∧ TransferredMaterialRole(mr) ∧ hasSpecifiedOutput(x,m) ∧ hasRole(m,mr))
planned process in which a material entity is physically withdrawn from a material entity or site
if x is a 'material removal process' then x is a 'planned process' that 'has participant at some time' some 'site' or 'material entity' that 'has role' some 'material withdrawal source role', and 'has specified output' some 'material entity' that 'has role' some 'transferred material role'
material transfer process
cryovial transfer process from cryostorage to a thawing device, in which a cryovial containing frozen cell material is withdrawn from a cryostorage system and introduced into a thawing device; Milli-Q water transfer process from a Milli-Q water production system into a vessel used for growth media reconstitution; cell culture material transfer process from a weldable bottle to a bench-scale production bioreactor; feed medium transfer process from a feed bag into a production bioreactor during fed-batch cultivation; inoculum transfer process from a seed bioreactor or inoculum bag into a production bioreactor; reconstituted orange juice transfer process from a mixing tank into a packaging line feed tank; PVC compounding mixture transfer process from a blender into a twin-screw extruder hopper
1) A material transfer process represents the full movement of the same material entity from one material entity or site to another and has a material removal process and a material addition process as parts. 2) The material transfer process, its material removal and material addition parts, and the broader planned process of which it is a part occur within the same facility. A facility may, for example, correspond to an ISA PhysicalSite. 3) Use material transfer process when the movement is part of the material's processing, production, assessment, or use as a consumable, including when transfer failures such as loss, blockage, delay, misdirection, contamination, or unintended change in material state are relevant. 4) Material movement performed solely for warehousing, inventory relocation, shipment, delivery, or other logistics purposes is not a material transfer process, because it does not occur as part of the material's processing, production, assessment, or use as a consumable. Use the applicable material handling or transport process instead. 5) In the first-order logic axiom, the common facility is represented as a material entity because Facility is not available in this module.
MaterialTransferProcess(x) → MaterialLocationChangeProcess(x) ∧ ∃r∃a∃m∃p∃f (MaterialRemovalProcess(r) ∧ MaterialAdditionProcess(a) ∧ MaterialEntity(m) ∧ PlannedProcess(p) ∧ MaterialEntity(f) ∧ hasOccurrentPart(x,r) ∧ hasOccurrentPart(x,a) ∧ hasSpecifiedOutput(r,m) ∧ hasInput(a,m) ∧ properOccurrentPartOf(x,p) ∧ hasParticipantAtSomeTime(p,m) ∧ occursIn(x,f) ∧ occursIn(r,f) ∧ occursIn(a,f) ∧ occursIn(p,f))
material location change process occurring within a single facility in which a material entity is removed from one material entity or site and added to another as part of that material's processing, production, assessment, or use as a consumable
This term is expected to remain primitive as the precision of requiring the same material across the processes is difficult to express in OWL
if x is a 'material transfer process' then x is a 'material location change process' that 'has occurrent part' some 'material removal process' r and some 'material addition process' a, where r 'has specified output' the same 'material entity' m that a 'has input', and x is a 'proper occurrent part of' some 'planned process' p that 'has participant at some time' m, and x, r, a, and p each 'occurs in' the same 'material entity' f
material use process
When a customer drives a car off from the dealership after purchasing the car, a material use process has started. A container/lot of a chemical substance may be considered used when the seal is opened or when the first portion is taken out from the container. The portion taken out from the container is also subjected to another material use process; The material use process of a light-duty delivery truck dedicated to last-mile delivery starts when the driver drives it off from the dealership after purchasing it brand-new; the material use of a baghouse fabric filter installed downstream of a cyclonic separator begins the first time air containing very fine particles flows through it
MaterialUseProcess(x) → PlannedProcess(x) ∧ ∃m∃p∃c(MaterialEntity(m) ∧ PlannedProcess(p) ∧ Capability(c) ∧ specificallyDependsOn(c, m) ∧ hasParticipantAtAllTimes(x, m) ∧ hasOccurrentPart(x, p) ∧ temporallyStartedBy(x, p) ∧ realizes(p, c))
planned process that is a part of a material entity lifecycle and which starts with a realization of the capability of that material entity
This term is expected to remain primitive because different kinds of material entities, use processes, and business practices may have different definitions of when a material use process starts.
if x is a 'material use process', then x is a 'planned process' that 'has participant at all times' some 'material entity' m, and 'has occurrent part' some 'planned process' p that both 'temporally starts' x and 'realizes' a 'capability' c that 'specifically depends on' m
material withdrawal source role
feed bag bearing material withdrawal source role when feed medium is taken from it for addition to a cell culture; powder tank bearing material withdrawal source role when a 5 g powder portion is taken from it during solution preparation; cell culture bearing material withdrawal source role during a cell bleed process; sample vial bearing material withdrawal source role when liquid sample is aspirated for analytical measurement; weighing tank bearing material withdrawal source role when phthalate plasticizer is taken from it for addition to a PVC blender; chlorine gas cylinder bearing material withdrawal source role when chlorine is withdrawn for addition to pre-treated water
Material withdrawal source role identifies the material entity or site from which material is physically withdrawn. Use this role for the source from which the material is physically being taken. Do not use it for the material that is taken. The withdrawn material bears transferred material role.
MaterialWithdrawalSourceRole(x) → Role(x) ∧ ∃b ((MaterialEntity(b) ∨ Site(b)) ∧ roleOf(x, b))
role held by a material entity or site when a material entity is being, or is planned to be, physically withdrawn from it
if x is a 'material withdrawal source role' then x is a 'role' that is the 'role of' some 'material entity' or some 'site'
process intermediate material
Yoghurt held after fermentation and before finishing with flavorings and packaging; Cocoa paste stored after conching and before molding and packaging; Dried PVC resin stored before compounding with additives; Harvested cell culture fluid held before primary clarification; Protein A eluate stored before viral inactivation; Concentrated bulk drug substance stored before final formulation and filling
Cocoa paste, which is produced by a Cocoa manufacturer, sold, and shipped in heated tanker trucks to other food companies; Dried PVC resin produced by Company ABC and sold in bags or big bags to other companies that manufacture PVC pipes, different PVC compounds, etc.
ProcessIntermediateMaterial(x) ↔ MaterialEntity(x) ∧ ∃r(ProcessIntermediateMaterialRole(r) ∧ hasRole(x, r))
material entity which has the process intermediate material role
every instance of 'process intermediate material' is defined as exactly an instance of 'material entity' that 'has role' some 'process intermediate material role'
process intermediate material role
Merck KGaA
role of a yoghurt when held after fermentation for use in finishing and packaging; role of a cocoa paste when stored after conching for use in molding and cooling; role of a dried PVC resin when kept after drying for use in compounding; role of a harvested cell culture fluid when held after bioreactor harvest for use in clarification; role of a Protein A eluate when collected after chromatography for use in viral inactivation; role of a bulk drug substance when stored after purification for use in formulation and filling
ProcessIntermediateMaterialRole(x) → Role(x) ∧ ∃a(roleOf(x,a) ∧ MaterialEntity(a) ∧ ∀y(hasRealization(x,y) → (ManufacturingProcess(y) ∧ hasInput(y,a))) ∧ ((∃c∃b(isSpecifiedOutputOf(a,c) ∧ ManufacturingProcess(c) ∧ isInputOf(a,b) ∧ ManufacturingProcess(b) ∧ precedes(c,b))) ∨ (∃d∃s∃p∃m(isSpecifiedOutputOf(a,d) ∧ ManufacturingProcess(d) ∧ prescribedBy(a,s) ∧ InputSpecification(s) ∧ continuantPartOfAtAllTimes(s,p) ∧ PlanSpecification(p) ∧ prescribes(p,m) ∧ ManufacturingProcess(m) ∧ precedes(d,m)))))
role held by a material entity when it is an output of a manufacturing process and is input of a subsequent manufacturing process or planned to be an input of a subsequent manufacturing process
There are insufficient constructs to define necessary and sufficient conditions.
if x is a 'process intermediate material role' then x is a 'role of' some 'material entity' such that every 'realization of' x is a 'manufacturing process' that 'has input' that same 'material entity', and either that 'material entity' 'is specified output of' some 'manufacturing process' that 'precedes' some 'manufacturing process' of which that same 'material entity' 'is input', or that 'material entity' 'is specified output of' some 'manufacturing process' that 'precedes' some 'manufacturing process' prescribed by a 'plan specification', where that same 'material entity' is 'prescribed by' some 'input specification' that is 'continuant part of at all times' that 'plan specification'
production consumable
Benzoyl Peroxide used as a free-radical initiator in vinyl chloride polymerization; Deionized water used as a suspension medium in PVC polymerization and partially lost through evaporation; High-speed steel drill bits used in drilling operations and consumed after 200–400 drilling cycles; Single-use bioreactor bag used for mammalian cell culture and discarded after use; sterile filter used for media sterilization and discarded after filtration; Disposable depth filter used in harvest clarification and discarded post-use;
Water employed in the Steam Reforming Process of Methane. Steam reacts with Methane at very high temperature in the presence of a Ni catalyst to produce Hydrogen and a CO/CO2 mixture. Though steam is fed in excess to avoid the carbonization of the catalyst, and is partly lost, a certain amount of it is converted into Hydrogen. Therefore, water plays a raw material role; Water inside a closed-loop cooling system circuit that is part of a chemical reaction process. Since it is a closed system, water is not lost through evaporation, and it does not need a chemical/biological treatment. In consequence, it does not need to be recovered.
See the expanded definition under the corresponding role class. The term is formalized here as a defined class by referring to its corresponding role class and exists primarily for ontological modeling and implementation convenience.
ProductionConsumable(x) ↔ Consumable(x) ∧ ∃r(ProductionConsumableRole(r) ∧ hasRole(x, r))
material entity which has the production consumable role
every instance of 'production consumable' is defined as exactly an instance of 'consumable' that 'has role' some 'production consumable role'
production consumable role
Benzoyl Peroxide in the role of a consumable in the polymerization of vinyl chloride; Deionized water in the role of a consumable in PVC polymerization as a suspension medium; Sterile filter in the role of a consumable in media sterilization; Single-use bioreactor bag in the role of a consumable in mammalian cell culture; Disposable depth filter in the role of a consumable in harvest clarification
1. 'Used up' in this context means that either a) the material entity no longer exists at the end of the process or b) the material entity has reduced or lost capability as a result of the process. 2. In many cases, organizations monitor the number of hours or frequency with which such consumables are used. 3. Production consumables include resources that are typically not specified in recipes, not included in the bill of materials, and not lot-tracked.
ProductionConsumableRole(x) → ConsumableRole(x) ∧ ∀y(hasRealization(x,y) → ∃z(occurrentPartOf(y,z) ∧ ProductProductionProcess(z))) ∧ ∃a(roleOf(x,a) ∧ MaterialEntity(a) ∧ (∃b∃c∃d∃z(prescribedBy(a,b) ∧ InputSpecification(b) ∧ continuantPartOfAtAllTimes(b,c) ∧ PlanSpecification(c) ∧ prescribes(c,d) ∧ occurrentPartOf(d,z) ∧ ProductProductionProcess(z)) ∨ ∃e∃z(isInputOf(a,e) ∧ occurrentPartOf(e,z) ∧ ProductProductionProcess(z)) ∨ ∃f∃g∃z(hasCapability(a,f) ∧ Capability(f) ∧ hasRealization(f,g) ∧ occurrentPartOf(g,z) ∧ ProductProductionProcess(z))))
consumable role held by a material entity when it is planned to be, or is partially or fully consumed in a process that is part of a product production process
There are insufficient constructs to define necessary and sufficient conditions. Specifically constructs for representing partially consumed are missing.
if x is a 'production consumable role' then x is a 'consumable role', x 'has realization' only in some 'occurrent part of' a 'product production process', and x is a 'role of' some 'material entity' that either is 'prescribed by' some 'input specification' that is a 'continuant part of at all times' some 'plan specification' that 'prescribes' some 'occurrent part of' a 'product production process', 'is input of' some 'occurrent part of' a 'product production process', or 'has capability' some 'capability' that 'has realization' in some 'occurrent part of' a 'product production process'
transferred material role
5 g powder portion bearing transferred material role when it is taken from a powder tank and added to a flask; 500 mL feed-medium portion bearing transferred material role when it is taken from a feed bag and added to a cell culture; 10 kg phthalate plasticizer bearing transferred material role when it is taken from a weighing tank and added to a PVC blender; 50 mL flavor essence bearing transferred material role when it is taken from a dosing tank and added to a conching unit; liquid sample portion bearing transferred material role when it is withdrawn from a sample vial for analytical measurement; cryovial bearing transferred material role when it is retrieved from cryostorage
1) Transferred material role identifies the material entity that is physically added or withdrawn in a planned process. The material may be bulk, discrete, or containerized. 2) The role may be used when only material addition or only material removal is represented. In a material transfer process, the same material entity bearing transferred material role participates in both. 3) Transferred material role is distinct from cargo role and other roles associated specifically with transportation or shipping. For those cases the appropriate role from the supply chain ontology should be used.
TransferredMaterialRole(x) → Role(x) ∧ ∃m (MaterialEntity(m) ∧ roleOf(x, m))
role held by a material entity when it is being, or is planned to be, physically added to or withdrawn from a material entity or site
if x is a 'transferred material role' then x is a 'role' that is the 'role of' some 'material entity'