Bacterial quantification
→ CFU enumeration
Fast, reliable quantification of bacterial or microbial concentration with Colony Forming Unit (CFU) enumeration, providing you with a full Certificate of Analysis (CoA).
Why a CFU analysis?
CFU enumeration is the gold standard for determining viable microbial and spore concentrations in biological products. It is widely used for high-concentration Bacillus spore-based formulations and can also accurately quantify vegetative cells in your samples.
What is CFU — and what can it tell you?
The CFU enumeration assay is used to determine the number of viable microorganisms in a sample by measuring their ability to grow and form visible colonies under suitable culture conditions. Sounds simple — but the answer you get depends entirely on the question you’re trying to answer.
Before performing a CFU assay, it’s important to consider what information you need. The most appropriate approach depends on what your product contains — or what it is intended to contain.
For example, if your product is designed to contain only bacterial spores, you may only be interested in the viable spore count. On the other hand, if you want to determine whether spores have germinated during production or storage, comparing the total viable count (spores + vegetative cells) with the viable spore count can reveal the proportion of spores relative to vegetative cells.
In other cases, your primary question may simply be whether the microorganisms survived the production process, or whether viability changes during storage.
Before deciding on a CFU assay, ask yourself:
- Do I want to determine the potency of my product?
- Do I want to know how many viable spores are present?
- Do I want to distinguish between spores and vegetative cells?
- Do I want to assess survival during manufacturing?
- Do I want to evaluate stability during storage or throughout the product’s shelf life?
- Do I want to compare different formulations or processing conditions?
The right CFU assay starts with asking the right biological question.
WHAT YOU RECEIVE
What this service delivers
Robust & reproducible methods
Enumeration protocols designed for consistency across every run, so your data is comparable batch to batch. Executed by trained staff.
Complex formulation ready
Possibility for combining with a method validation. Good choice for challenging matrices, including high-concentration biological products, carriers, and mixed bacterial cultures.
Certificate of Analysis (CoA)
You get a formal certificate documenting CFU counts, hence a quality check for your product.
APPLICATIONS
Ideal for quality control & compliance
Quality control: Verify batch consistency, confirm label claims for CFU counts, and catch out-of-spec products before they leave your facility.
Regulatory submissions: Generate audit-ready documentation and CoAs formatted for regulatory agencies, streamlining your approval pathway.