US firm Promega introduces new Water-Glo system

US-based Promega has launched Water-Glo system, a quick, flexible and highly sensitive measurement tool for water plant operators.

Water-Glo system is designed for checking microbial contamination in various water samples such as fresh, processed, seawater and wastewater.

The system uses bioluminescent technology for measuring adenosine triphosphate (ATP). A minute variation in ATP levels will act as an early warning system to assess the microbial contamination in water.

In a study conducted at the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education in Delft, the Netherlands, the new technology was used to demonstrate the first “direct method” of measuring ATP in seawater.

The report titled “ATP measurement in seawater reverse osmosis systems: Eliminating seawater matrix effects using a filtration-based method” was published in the international journal Desalination March 2019 issue.

ATP method offers more advantages for detecting microbes in water when compared to regular methods like the heterotrophic plate count, flow cytometry and indirect processes like turbidity or pressure drop.

The technology is sensitive enough to detect contamination even in low microbial load samples.

This allows the technicians to observe and monitor the efficacy of biocide treatments or biological filtration processes.

According to the company, the ATP method provides immediate results in cases of microbial contamination. It does not have to wait for microbial growth in media and can process up to 96 samples at the same time.

The reagent is stable for six months at 4°C or two weeks at room temperature and is flexible enough to be used in lab, field, or floor.