R & D – Neugen Biologicals

Quality Control

Agri-Gate technology is carefully designed to achieve the most efficient control of microbial culture productivity, maintenance, storage, and quality control. All of our resources now are situated in close proximity, with controlled access wherever necessary. There is no return air in the building, with frequently changes per hour from outside, so there is no movement of any air-borne material between the rooms.

Greenhouse

Greenhouse Quality Control: Procedures in the greenhouse focus on maximizing productivity of cultures (optimal relationships between plant growth, mycorrhiza biomass, and fungal sporulation) and free of contaminating microbes and pests that might spread particulates from one culture to another or be a detriment to plant health.

Fermentation

Fermentation Quality Control: Procedures for fermentation focuses on maximizing productivity of bacterial cultures (optimal growth, biomass, and sporulation, free of contaminating microbes) and recovery.

Agri-Gate Culture Storage

Culture Storage Quality Control

All cultures from temperate climates are stored in a walk-in cold room, which is maintained at a constant temperature. This room is entered from within the laboratory. All cultures are stored in sealed bags, with culture codes written on the bag and on labels affixed so individual cultures can be readily identified when stacked. Cultures are organized alphabetically for quick searches.

Growth Room

Growth Room Quality Control

The growth room is designed to grow cultures that contain unknown fungi, bacteria or other microorganisms. All inocula received from the field are cultured first in this room for close monitoring.

Drying Room

Drying/Storage Room Quality Control

Any nonsterile soil is prohibited in this area. Low benches provide areas to prepare packages for shipment (inocula are sealed in bags in the prep room first), record culture data, or other activities.

Preparation Room

Preparation Room Quality Control

This room is completely isolated from all plant-growing areas (the greenhouse and the growth room). Unsterilized soil is prohibited both in this room (or in any room except culture storage). Field soil is stored in a separate greenhouse across the street from our building, and it is there that it is sterilized before being moved to any of the rooms pictured here.

Lab

Laboratory Quality Control

Inoculum are extracted in the prep room, and after that they are transported in glass petri dishes to a refrigerator in the lab. We examine all of these cultures at one of the microscope / stereo-microscope workstations on the day of extraction, make written notes (which are later entered into the database), wash out the dishes, and then store them in the drying room.

Office

With few conditional exceptions, such as partner visitors, only NeuGen personnel enter or work in these QC/Production rooms