Water analysis

Microbiologically contaminated water poses a serious danger to the health of both humans and animals. For example, Legionella can cause severe pneumonia when inhaled from drinking and utility water systems. Excessive concentrations of Listeria and Salmonella in process water for the food industry can lead to foodborne infections.

To detect harmful contaminants from bacteria in a timely manner and to implement appropriate countermeasures, microbiological water analyses are essential. These analyses must comply with legal regulations and standards for water quality.

Culture-based methods are often used for the identification of microorganisms. However, these detection methods are inherently slow. As an alternative, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) has established itself as a faster and more reliable method for microbial detection and quantification. However, the PCR analysis of water samples requires complex manual processes in laboratories, making it time-consuming and costly.

Innovative Solutions: On-Site Testing

An effective solution to this problem is automated on-site analytics. At Fraunhofer IMM, we have developed a miniaturized platform that enables fully automated processing and analysis of water samples using qPCR analysis. The system allows for the direct detection of pathogens like Legionella and E. coli from large water samples (up to several liters) within just one hour. In this way, it is in line with the recently published ISO/TS 12869-2:2024, which deals with on-site testing of microorganisms in water using PCR.

Through automation, human errors influence on the results are minimized. Additionally, the combination of automation with miniaturization significantly reduces testing costs, as no trained personnel or laboratory environment is needed. This enables us to deliver high-quality results in a short time and at reasonable costs.

The system consists of different functional modules that represent individual process steps and can each be used as standalone devices. Furthermore, it is possible to integrate the technology directly into a water distribution system to enable online detection and continuous water monitoring.

Application Areas of IMM Technology

The technology from Fraunhofer IMM is utilized in various fields, including:

• Cooling water
• Drinking water
• Wastewater
• Swimming and bathing water
• Bioreactors
• Food and beverage industry
• Pharmaceutical industry

Capabilities of Our Technology:

Our Offer to Customers

Based on your individual needs, we develop tailored solutions that go far beyond the current state of the art. With a variety of manufacturing methods available on-site, including clean rooms, mechanical workshops, electronics workshops, and software development, we are well-equipped to meet your requirements and realize innovative solutions.

Our interdisciplinary team brings unique expertise in microfluidic system development and has extensive know-how in the manufacturing and validation of microfluidic analysis systems. This guarantees both efficiency in development and smooth implementation of your projects.

Our research offerings include:

• Feasibility Studies: Analysis and optimization of complex analytical processes.
• Implementation of Your Application Idea: From concept to functional proof.
• Development of Microfluidic Modules: Customized solutions for your specific requirements.
• Construction of Automated Demonstrators: Fully functional systems for on-site and in-line analytics.
• Validation of the Overall System: From the initial prototype to the pre-production series.

Whether you want to bring stationary detection to the site of interest or establish new analyses that were previously not possible, together we will find the perfect solution for your challenges.