What Sets LuminUltra Apart?

The measurement of bioburden in water is not new to industry. There are a variety of different measurement techniques that are used to measure biological concentration in water and wastewater streams, but no method is able to provide a fast and accurate measure of total microorganisms that is both easy to use and affordable, until now.

LuminUltra’s test kits provide on-the-spot microbiological test results in any industry. While most methods can only be applied to specific sample types, LuminUltra offers a versatile suite of test protocols that allow rapid and accurate detection of microbial content, regardless of the source.

To see how LuminUltra’s test kits stack up against the competitors, click on the microbial detection methods listed below:

Culture-based Methods/HPCs

Microbial Equivalents vs Colony Forming Units The erratic results produced by 1st generation ATP tests traditionally resulted in poor correlations when compared to culture tests. However, since LuminUltra’s ATP test protocols are not prone to the same problems, correlations with culture tests done on the same sample produce very favorable results.

However, while the overall link between these two techniques is strong, culturing methods usually underestimate total biomass since they:

Detect only viable organisms. ATP detects all active species as well as non-culturable organisms.
Measure specific strains. ATP provides all-inclusive results.
Count single organisms and clumps as one in the same. Quantitative measurements require a single cell to produce a population of at least 10-100 million before detection. ATP detects all organisms regardless of size

Heterotrophic Plate Count vs LuminUltra ATP Technology In a microbial growth control program, the biocide generally targets the entire spectrum of biomass. While E.Coli and Total Coliform tests are often necessary for compliance monitoring, they are not effective at quickly assessing the overall kill since a positive test is not detected until a day or more later. At this point, the public will have already been put at risk. Therefore, ATP provides the best basis for control because it measures total biomass in real-time!

Suspended Solids

Isolate the living biomass and unlock the potential of your bioreactor! Wastewater treatment systems often use suspended solids to infer the concentration of living biomass contained in a bioreactor. However, solids measurements include living and dead microorganisms as well as inert particles. However, ATP monitoring provides a direct measure of the living portion of the bioreactor. ATP monitoring provides the user with a clear picture of the engine that drives the process – the biomass!

A routine ATP monitoring program provides superior insight into the biomass health and activity than solids measurements, and as such, represents the ideal process control and continuous improvement tool for wastewater treatment monitoring.

1^st Generation ATP

ATP content of a biological sample In the past, users have been dissatisfied with results using 1^st generation ATP products in water applications because most formats are derived from hygiene monitoring uses where samples are relatively free of interferences.

LuminUltra’s advanced reagent system provides the ideal tool to assess disinfection efficacy! LuminUltra has developed its products specifically for water applications, where for the most part, samples contain a variety of components that can interfere with the ATP assay.

Compared to 1^st generation ATP products, you can expect the following advantages from LuminUltra:

Superior Accuracy
Improved Precision
More Convenience
Excellent Sensitivity & Repeatability

Respirometry

The measurement of the rate of oxygen consumption or methane production is an important operating characteristic for aerobic and anaerobic bioreactors, respectively. Although some of the applications for the two technologies have similar objectives, it is clear that the tests are fundamentally different.

Because of the complex nature of biological processes, viewing the objectives from different perspectives increases the power of both analyses. In addition, because ATP provides an estimate of active biomass that is superior to SS and VSS the two tests can be directly integrated to provide a more accurate SOUR (Specific Oxygen Uptake Rate), i.e. oxygen uptake rate per unit of biomass.

Bioreactor COD Removal efficiency was minimally affected in spite of the lower concentration in the middle period …

SOUR MLSS … causing the biomass to work harder to treat the waste. This is shown when normalizing OUR to cATP but not MLSS!

Toxicity Measurements

Routine monitoring of BSI provides immediate feedback on acute stress! Toxicity measurements, such as the standard 96-hour trout toxicity test or Microtox™, are a means with which to evaluate the toxicity of a water or wastewater sample on a controlled group of organisms.

However, this test only shows the effects of the water or wastewater source on the Microtox organisms, not the species present in the process. Conversely, a routine ATP monitoring program provides the Biomass Stress Index (BSI) parameter – a direct indicator of acute stress on process biomass. By using the BSI to observe the population’s response to various stimuli (good and bad), the user can immediately detect poor biomass health. As such, not only can process upsets be detected and prevented, but unfavourable conditions such as low oxygen or suboptimal pH can be identified and remedied!

More information can be found in the next section, How is ATP Measured?

In addition, Microtox™ testing can be performed using the same Luminometer used for ATP testing! Contact us for more details.

For more details on why to choose ATP for your biological monitoring needs, check out the following technical bulletins on the comparison of LuminUltra’s ATP measurement technology against conventional tests:

Continue... How is ATP Measured?

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