What would the Sunday breakfast be without the final delicious sweet touch? Or how about a traditional German “Berliner” filled with plum jam, or a croissant with chocolate filling? And even yoghurt with fruit preparation poses the same question.

All these lovely jams and marmalades, pastry cream fillings, and fruit preparations are processed to be kept at ambient temperature and therefore need to be tested for microbial control. Promicol ATP Bioluminescence testing allows exactly that - the rapid microbial control of jams, creams, and fruit preparations.

Most of these products contain a relatively high amount of sugar and are therefore somewhat naturally protected from microbial contamination. Fruit preparations, in particular, have an acidic pH, also providing some natural spoilage protection. However, these products need to be assessed before use in the food industry or consumption by customers, e.g. during Sunday breakfast.

Traditional plating is the most common microbial assessment method but is also very elaborate and time-consuming. Promicol ATP Bioluminescence testing allows a faster and easier way of testing.

After pre-incubation in enrichment media - for most products only 24 h - the sample-broth mixture can be tested directly in the Promicol instruments Promilite M4A or M1, respectively. Depending on the instrument and product matrix up to approximately 100 samples can be tested within 25 minutes, offering a significant reduction in labour costs.

The reagents used ensure that even high levels of non-microbial ATP, which may be present in fruit preparations, are removed to guarantee discrimination between sterile and contaminated samples. The microbial extractant used assures that all kinds of microorganisms, including yeasts and moulds as well as bacteria, will be opened to release their ATP. The ATP will be turned into light by the firefly enzyme, which will be measured by the Promilite instrument and expressed in Relative Light Units (RLU). The software automatically performs the assay and classifies the measured values as pass, re-test, or fail using a colour code, which enables an easy interpretation for the user.

Promicol aims to develop a long term relationship with its customers, built on trust, innovation, and expertise. It is our goal to provide a service that is in touch with the needs of your quality management and with your demands from rapidly changing markets, making ATP work for you, together with you.

Enjoy your Sunday breakfast!