Metagenomic Mapping Service-MMS

At QACS, our Environmental Monitoring Lab offers advanced Metagenomic Mapping Services (MMS) designed to help brands maintain the highest quality and safety standards in their production environments. The primary goal of Environmental Monitoring and MMS is to give manufacturers a complete understanding of the microbial populations present within their facilities — enabling proactive control, improved hygiene, and minimized contamination risks.

Using Metagenomics we study the genetic material of microorganisms in a given environment to provide valuable insights for quality control and safety in all industries. We combine long-standing microbiology experience of plant areas with the power of NGS and Metagenomic Mapping to accurately:

• Map and monitor the complete microbiome of your production facility.
• Pinpoint pathogens and contaminants in the environment.
• Identify their routes and biofilms.
• Track their sources proactively.
• Gain full insight of the microbial populations in your production before it affects your products.
• Use the data retrospectively to identify possible sources of contamination in case of QC failure.

The presence of bacteria in production environments poses a constant threat to QA/QC managers who might face a huge challenge concerning recalls. The classical approach with swabs and culture plates only detects a limited number of microorganisms and often results are difficult or even meaningless to interpret.

As a leading Environmental Monitoring Lab, QACS offers a comprehensive and data-driven microbial mapping process:

• Samples are taken from all important sources in the production environment.
• Total DNA is isolated from all samples and sequenced with NGS.
• The full depth of the microbiome of each sample is revealed from each sample analysis.
• Combining the results of each sample a full microbiome map of the production environment is revealed.
• Metadata analysis, heatmaps and most of all our expert’s insight results in a comprehensive report with clear interpretation of the finding and suggestions for corrective actions.