BioBall contains a precise number of microorganisms in a water-soluble ball delivering unprecedented accuracy for Quantitative Microbiological Quality Control.

BioBall is available in four standard levels.

SingleShot – mean of between 28 and 33 cfu with a standard deviation of 3 cfu or less (unless otherwise stated). Designed for a precise single inoculation. Ideal positive control for media QC, positive control for pathogen testing in the food industry and as a positive control for water and waste water testing.

MultiShot 550 – mean of between 500 and 600 cfu with a standard deviation of ≤ 10% of the mean. Designed for re-hydration into 1.1 mL of BioBall Re-Hydration Fluid to provide 10 x 100μL doses of 50 cfu. Ideal for pharmaceutical microbiology QC where multiple positive controls in the 10 to 100 cfu range are needed.

HighDose 10K – mean of between 8,000 and 12,000 cfu with a standard deviation of ≤ 15% of the mean (unless otherwise stated). Designed for a single precise inoculation at a higher cfu level. Ideal for positive control testing where a higher cfu is required.

MultiShot 10E8 –mean of between 0.7 and 1.5 x 108 cfu with a standard deviation of ≤ 20% of the mean. Designed for re-hydration into 1.1 mL of BioBall Re-Hydration Fluid to provide 10 x 100μL doses of 107. Pharmaceutical and cosmetic preparations often require antimicrobial activity to prevent microbial proliferation or to limit the effects of contamination. The Pharmacopoeias require testing these products for the efficacy of antimicrobial preservation (e.g. USP 51, EP 5.1.3, JP19). BioBall MultiShot 10E8 is ideal for this application and simplifies preparation and provides a precise inoculum.

BioBall is easy to use. It requires no preparation or pre-incubation. It can be added directly to media or matrix samples.

BioBall is an accredited reference material under ISO Guide 34 standard. Applications include:-

  • Media quality control
  • Positive control for quantitative QC
  • Method validation
  • Accreditation compliance
  • Multi-laboratory standardization
  • Determining uncertainty of measurement
  • Proficiency Testing schemes
  • Antimicrobial Effectiveness Testing
  • Disinfectant challenge testing

BioBall products have up to 24 months* shelf life when stored frozen. *Depending on the organism.

Bacteria available cover three main industries :

Pharmaceutical – a full range of USP, EP and JP organisms.
Food e.g. Salmonella sp., Listeria sp, E. coli sp.
Water and wastewater e.g. E. coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Enterococcus faecalis.