NCIMB has strengthened its microbial identification services with expansion into a new molecular biology lab, and the creation of an additional dedicated microbiology and DNA extraction lab.

ID services manager Vikki Mitchell is delighted with the new facilities. She said: “The additional space has allowed us to invest in new equipment to de-bottleneck our workflows and this has enabled us to streamline procedures and offer a new same-day identification service”.

NCIMB has an extensive track record in bacterial and fungal identification for a broad range of industry sectors, and can use both state-of-the art molecular techniques and traditional microbiology to ensure clients get the right service for their needs. The company routinely handles a diverse range of substances including food, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, cooling or process water, factory slimes, and isolates from personnel or environmental monitoring.

The new equipment includes microcentrifuges, thermal cyclers, and an additional, higher capacity, sequencer. Vikki added: “For many of our clients, the presence of objectionable organisms will mean that production stops until remedial steps have been taken. Identification of isolates is a key step in the process and we hope that by offering faster turnaround times we can help to reduce lost production time and also play a part in ensuring that essential products are available for those who need them”.

She concludes: “The new state-of-the-art thermal cycler has reduced PCR time to just 30 minutes, and this means that we can significantly reduce turnaround times while maintaining our high quality standards. This investment considerably strengthens NCIMB’s validated bacterial and fungal identification services offering. Using our services couldn’t be easier, just pop a plate in the post and we’ll do the rest”.

For more information contact Vikki Mitchell at v.mitchell@ncimb.com; +44 (0) 1224 711100