Our Science
We utilize a combination of DNA and NMR technology because we believe that these are the most powerful technologies for authenticity testing.
qPCR & Viability qPCR
We use qPCR for probiotic identification and viability PCR for enumeration.
qPCR is a strong DNA based analytical tool that can detect single strains in multiple component probiotic blends. For identification, our method allows us to do strain-specific identification versus other methodologies that only do species level identification. This is important because probiotic health benefits are strain specific.
For enumeration testing, we use viability PCR. It is sensitive, fast, and accurate. It is a targeted method that requires primers to allow for identification and uses photoactivation to determine viable cells. It is also strain-specific and can accurately quantify the microorganisms and whether they are viable (live). For a probiotic to be effective and confer a health benefit, the strain needs to be live and at an expected concentration.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is a powerful analytical tool used to determine the content and purity of a product at the molecular level. We believe NMR is the best analytical method to detect product or ingredient adulteration.
NMR is a non-targeted analytical method and can provide a complete picture of all the compounds in a product - not just one specific predefined target. Targeted methods can only detect one compound at a time, which is inefficient - with thousands of possible adulterants, multiple tests would be required to identify what might be in a product. As well, adulterers have found ways to exploit shortcomings in some of the targeted analytical testing methods.
The Power of NMR
As a non-targeted analytical technique, for any sample, NMR can provide information such as: