Why Choose ATP Testing?
In the three most important categories – Specificity, Interferences, and Lag time – ATP is superior to other methods for measuring total active biomass! In fact, other suppliers cite ATP as the gold standard of total biomass measurement. LuminUltra™ is the only company with ATP measurement products designed specifically for water and wastewater applications – that is the LuminUltra Difference!
In most any water application, one of the most important characteristics to understand is the amount of total, active biomass. This characteristic is often overlooked in favor of measuring specific microorganism strains. However, to have changes to these specific organisms, the total population must change first.
When it comes to monitoring total active biomass, no test is as fast, easy, and accurate as measuring ATP. The following table compares the various conventional mechanisms with ATP for measuring total active biomass:
METHOD
|
SPECIFICITY |
INTERFERENCES |
LABOR |
LAG |
INVESTMENT |
COST |
| ATP |
Total Bioburden |
– |
5 to 10 Mins |
None |
Moderate |
$6 to $10 |
| CULTURE METHODS |
| Plate Counts |
Specific Bioburden |
– |
5 to 10 Mins |
2+ Days |
Moderate |
$4 to $6 |
| Dip Slides |
Specific Bioburden |
– |
5 to 10 Mins |
2+ Days |
Low |
$4 to $12 |
| BARTs |
Specific Bioburden |
– |
5 to 15 Mins |
24+ Hrs |
Low |
$8 to $10 |
| SUSPENDED SOLIDS METHODS |
| TSS |
Total Solids |
- Active Biomass
- Dead Biomass
- Non-Biological Solids
- Inorganic Solids
|
15 to 20 Mins |
3 Hrs |
Moderate |
$1 to $2 |
| VSS |
Total Volatile Solids |
- Active Biomass
- Dead Biomass
- Non-Biological Solids
|
15 to 20 Mins |
3 Hrs |
Moderate |
$1 to $2 |
| GENETIC METHODS |
| Genetic |
Specific Bioburden |
|
1 to 2 Hrs |
2+ Hrs |
High |
$15 to $600 |
Key:
- Specificity: Indicates what the test actually measures. Many tests measure only specific ‘strains’ of microorganisms, while others measure characteristics not necessarily related to bioburden but rather will infer biological activity.
- Interferences: Specifies interferences, if any, that will cause false-positive or inflated results.
- Labor: The actual amount of operator labor time involved in setup, sample processing, and obtaining the result.
- Lag: The lag time between sample processing and obtaining a result.
- Investment: The investment required to set up for each test method.
- Cost: The cost per test for each test method.
Continue... What Sets LuminUltra Apart?
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