MMS – Metagenomic Mapping Service
MMS is a system-level approach to understanding and controlling the microbiology of production environments.
In modern manufacturing, contamination events are rarely caused by a single point failure. They emerge from complex interactions between raw materials, water, air, equipment, surfaces, people, and processes. Traditional environmental monitoring methods capture isolated snapshots of this system — often too late and with limited context. Metagenomic Mapping Service (MMS) changes this perspective. By combining high-resolution metagenomic sequencing with structured sampling design and deep industrial interpretation, MMS reveals how microorganisms persist, move, and interact across the entire production environment.
From detection to understanding
Sequencing alone does not solve microbiological problems. Value lies in translation.
MMS converts complex DNA data into clear, actionable insight, allowing manufacturers to understand:
- where microbial reservoirs are established,
- how contamination routes form and propagate,
- which zones contribute risk to others,
- and where preventive intervention is most effective.
What Metagenomic Mapping Service delivers:
- A comprehensive microbiome map of the production environment
- Early identification of hidden contamination risks and biofilm behaviour
- Understanding of microbial transfer pathways between zones and processes
- Risk-based prioritisation of hygiene and corrective actions
- Support for root-cause investigations following QC deviations or incidents
- A proactive framework for preventive environmental risk assessment
Built on real industrial experience
MMS has been implemented in more than 100 industrial projects across food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic manufacturing environments. Through this work, QACS has developed practical expertise on where to sample, how to interpret patterns, and which corrective actions deliver sustainable control.
This experience is what differentiates MMS from generic metagenomic or NGS services.
A preventive control tool
MMS is applied both:
- reactively, during contamination incidents or recurring failures, and
- proactively, as a periodic environmental microbiological risk assessment.
Many manufacturers now repeat MMS assessments to verify the effectiveness of hygiene strategies, process changes, or facility upgrades — before problems reach products or consumers.
MMS is not just about seeing what is present.
It is about understanding what matters — before it becomes visible.