NCIMB sells a specialist range of QC cultures for a variety of applications, including media testing.  These cultures are manufactured from the same seed stock as the organisms in the NCIMB Reference Collection and are produced to ISO 9001:2000 standards.  They are supplied certified as authentic and correctly identified reference strains. QC cultures are produced in much larger volumes than our standard Reference Collection strains and can therefore be offered at a much lower unit cost.

QC cultures are currently available for sale in a variety of formats. NCIMB traditionally supplied QC strips in glass ampoules containing a thick filter paper strip impregnated with freeze dried culture. Some strains are still available in this format although more recent batches of QC strips are being produced in screw top bottles which avoid the need to break glass.

In addition NCIMB are now offering a limited range of popular QC cultures in our new MicroSnap^TM device (see below). This is an all plastic device, comprising of a lower chamber containing freeze dried culture and an upper chamber with resuscitating fluid and attached swab. On mixing, the rehydrated culture can be used to inoculate growth media.

All formats of QC cultures are priced at £10 per unit with a minimum order value of £200 (20 units) and a minimum of 5 units of any one organism making up an order. For more information and to place an order contact: enquiries@ncimb.com.

Please click here to view a current list of cultures currently available in QC format.

If there is perceived to be a recurring demand for a new strain, this can be added to the list at the discretion of the Curator. Similarly, requests for particular sets of organisms can be looked at on a case by case basis (contact the Curator: p.green@ncimb.com).

MicroSnap^TM is the first in a new generation of product supplied directly from a National Culture Collection. They are economical, user friendly, transportation and resuscitation devices for bacterial cultures.  These new devices are primarily for use in the quality control sector. However they have a range of applications from the testing of media and diagnostic kits to assisting in compliance with various accreditation protocols.

A pre-requisite for such a product is the incorporation of strictly controlled culture material from an internationally recognised source of reference materials. NCIMB is the first culture collection to offer QC organisms manufactured directly from such a genetic resource. Our staff has access to over 8000 strains and the associated in-house expertise to produce this high quality product.  MicroSnap^TM is produced from authentic first generation cultures with the minimum possible number of passages from the original reference material.