Milliflex® Rapid Microbiology Detection and Enumeration system - Microbial identification systems

An Automated System for Rapid, Accurate Detection and Enumeration of Microorganisms

The Milliflex® Rapid Microbiology Detection and Enumeration system is an automated solution for the rapid detection, response, and resolution of microbial contamination in filterable samples throughout the manufacturing process. The system improves process control, product yield and the timely release of products. Based on Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence technology, the Milliflex® Rapid system delivers faster test results than traditional microbial contamination detection methods, such as membrane filtration (MF) and pour plates. The Milliflex® Sample Prep method also ensures consistent, reliable results. The Millilfex® Rapid system can clearly distinguish between mixed microbial growth of slow growing and fast growing microorganisms, as well as variances in their size and ATP content in water samples.

Results in Hours, Not Days

With the Milliflex® Rapid system you can detect bacteria in approximately 1/4 the time of your current method. The Milliflex® Rapid system can detect and count viable microorganisms filtered onto a membrane down to 1 CFU per sample. The software displays results as familiar colony forming units (CFU) therefore providing a direct comparison with historical data obtained from traditional methods.

Three Proven Technologies

The Milliflex® Rapid system uses proven technologies including membrane filtration, ATP bioluminescence and image analysis for ease of validation.

Membrane Filtration - Today’s standard for sample preparation. Large volumes of product can be processed and any inhibitor substances are easily rinsed away.

ATP Bioluminescence - ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is a proven indicator of cell viability.

Image Analysis for Enumeration of Microorganisms - The concentration of ATP required for measurement is about 200 attomoles, which is equivalent to one yeast or mold cell or approximately 100 bacterial cells, depending on their metabolic state. The sensitivity of the reagents combined with a charged coupled device (CCD) camera and image processor requires only a short incubation period to generate enough ATP for detection and enumeration.

The system captures the light signals emitted from the microorganisms on the membrane with a CCD camera. The image analysis software intensifies the bioluminescence from each cell (or micro-colony) thousands of times, and an image processor enumerates the microorganisms and displays them on a computer screen.

Conventional (left) vs. Milliflex® Rapid Image Analysis (right)