At LuminUltra, our business involves the supply of Innovative Biological Monitoring Technologies to any water, wastewater or organic fluid management application. Our main product line focuses on the rapid measurement of active microorganisms through detection of a molecule called Adenosine Triphosphate, or ATP.

ATP is a molecule found only in and around living cells, and as such it gives a direct measure of biological concentration and health. ATP is quantified  by  measuring the light produced through its reaction with the naturally-occurring firefly enzyme Luciferase using a Luminometer. The amount of light produced is directly proportional to the  amount of biological energy present in the sample.

Use ATP as the first line of defense for detecting microorganisms in water applications, or as the critical control parameter for optimizing cost-efficiency in wastewater treatment processes!

What is ATP? 

ATP or Adenosine Triphosphate, is a molecule so central to microbial life that its measurement is directly related to biomass energy level. ATP is an energy carrier located within living biological cells that manages all biological functions, such as food consumption, maintenance, and reproduction.

Like any living creature on Earth, microorganisms require ATP to survive – without it, there would be no life! ATP is found in any living life form, from a simple one–celled bacteria to human beings. In all cases, if there are microorganisms present, there is ATP!

For more information on what ATP is and how it is measured, please download and read The Science of ATP Monitoring.

How Does 2^nd Generation ATP Testing Benefit Me?

LuminUltra is the first and only provider of ATP-based test kits designed specifically for water and wastewater applications. Because of its accurate measurement and rapid feedback, ATP is the ultimate continuous improvement tool for all types of water processes – if there is a cause for a process change, the effect will be measurable via ATP results. This means that our products provide the best and most reliable information on the activity and health of microorganisms in any water or wastewater related process! Use ATP measurements to...

• Perform Hazard Analysis & Control - Because ATP measurements are specific to living organisms and feedback is obtained in minutes, ATP data can play a critical role in any biological hazard analysis and control program, from protection of human health to ensuring industrial product quality.
• Save Money - Optimize process cost-efficiency, from tuning biocide addition in industrial process waters to pacing aeration delivery in biological wastewater treatment systems to preventing manufactured product spoilage.
• Gain Peace of Mind - Why wait until tomorrow to know about today's microbiological threats? Obtain biological results within minutes to know about problems as they occur, before it is too late!
• Assess Process Changes - Qualification of known process changes with ATP is easy, because the test is fast and complete, and feedback is nearly real-time!
• Prevent Upsets - Detect the stress imposed on biomass during changing process conditions using the Biomass Stress Index (BSI™).
• Reduce Environmental Impact - Detect biomass escaping in plant effluents, reduce the production of waste biosolids, and eliminate excessive biocide release.

...and more! Click here to learn how we have dispelled the myths about ATP monitoring techniques. To learn about all of the possibilities that 2^nd Generation ATP monitoring can allow, visit our applications section here.

Why Choose LuminUltra?

Everywhere that water exists, microorganisms are sure to follow. Therefore any application that uses water can benefit from enhanced microbiological testing. Traditional microbiological tests such as culture testing and microscopic examination have existed since the 1800's, and an update to the overall microbiological toolkit is long overdue.

2^nd Generation ATP testing represents a major upgrade over previous 1^st Generation versions. You can learn more about the differences here. But in the context of the overall requirement for microbiological testing, 2^nd Generation ATP testing is advantageous for three primary reasons:

• It is fast - results are available in a matter of minutes rather than days. Obtaining near real-time results ensures that you are aware of any impending threats immediately, rather than having to wait days for results to be available via culture tests or for reports to come back from remote laboratories. Furthermore, this speed allows you to re-test if you obtain erroneous results, which is not possible with other types of microbiological tests.
• It is portable - you can take the microbiology testing laboratory to the field. Being able to perform testing right at the heart of the process eliminates any concerns about sample properties changing en-route to the laboratory, and it also offers you the opportunity to trace threats to their source while you are at the site. In short, the combination of speed and portability allow for on-the-spot problem solving, shortening troubleshooting cycles to a matter of minutes or hours versus traditional days or weeks.
• It is complete - because ATP is present in all living cells, you will be assured to measure the total 'threat'. This is significant when you consider that when microbiological threats are identified, the typical responses (microbiocidal treatments, chemical disinfectants, non-chemical disinfection, pasteurization, filtration, and so on) actually attack the total microbiological population. Hence, a complete measurement such as 2^nd Generation ATP is the best confirmatory tool for remediative treatments!

In short, the 2^nd Generation ATP test fills a need that has long existed in the microbiological tool kit and actually complements the other methods that have become commonplace in industry. It is the first line of defense in identifying threats, after which follow-up testing to speciate the problem can be undertaken if necessary. To learn more about how LuminUltra's products compare to other microbiological testing methods, click here.

How Do 2^nd Generation ATP Tests Work?

Within any sample containing microorganisms, there are two types of ATP:

• Intra-cellular ATP – ATP contained within living biological cells.
• Extra-cellular ATP – ATP located outside of biological cells that has been released from dead or stressed organisms.

Accurate measurement of these two types of ATP is critical to utilizing ATP-based measurements! Being able to accurately measure these different types of ATP offers the ability to assess biological health and activity, and subsequently control fluid processes!

For a detailed overview of the concepts involved in each test protocol, click on the sections below: