A better way to monitor cleanliness

At UV Micro we use a variety of methods and technologies to determine how clean or contaminated an item or surface may be at a particular point in time. Our methods are scientific and are extremely reliable.

ATP Monitoring System for Items and Surfaces

A key feature of ATP monitoring systems is the use of bioluminescence technology to identify and measure adenosine triphosphate, commonly known as ATP

ATP is an energy molecule found in all plant, animal and microbial cells. It fuels metabolic processes such as cellular reproduction, muscle contraction, plant photosynthesis, respiration in fungi, and fermentation in yeast.

All organic matter (living or once-living) contains ATP, including food, bacteria, mold and other microorganisms. The detection of ATP on a item or surface therefore indicates the presence of biological matter that may not otherwise be visible to the eye. In industries where plant hygiene control or cleanliness is crucial, ATP testing is an excellent tool for detecting and measuring biological matter that should not be present after cleaning.

UV Micro ATP testing devices contain a natural enzyme found in fireflies. This enzyme produces a simple bioluminescence (light-producing) reaction when it comes into contact with ATP. Using bioluminescence technology, the luminometer can measure extremely low levels of ATP collected with testing devices. Measuring the amount of bioluminescence from an ATP reaction provides an excellent indication of surface cleanliness because the quantity of light generated by the reaction is directly proportional to the amount of ATP present in the sample. The bioluminescence reaction is immediate so results can be processed at the testing site in seconds. Results are expressed numerically on the luminometer screen in Relative Light Units (RLU).

Bioluminescence is the result of a biochemical reaction and is the science behind our ATP detection tests. The reaction includes the following elements:

• Luciferin /Luciferase -naturally occurring in fireflies
• Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) – the energy molecule of all living organisms
• Oxygen- a catalyst

Luciferin /Luciferase + ATP + O2 == == Light output

The reaction occurs in two steps:

1. The substrate combines with ATP and oxygen, which is controlled by the enzyme.
2. The chemical energy in step 1 excites a specific molecule (the combination of Luciferin and Luciferase). The result is decay which is manifested as photon emission, or light production. The light is simply a byproduct of the chemical reaction and does not depend on light.

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