Happy Holidays!


We would like to inform you about our shipping schedule for the 2024 December holiday season.

ATCC will be closed from December 24, 2024 to January 1, 2025. To ensure timely delivery, please submit orders in accordance with the following:


  • Domestic orders no later than December 13th for shipment by December 20, 2024
  • International orders no later than December 11, 2024 for shipment by first week of January 2025

Thank you for your cooperation. We will resume our normal shipping schedule on January 2, 2025.

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Microbiological Quality Control

Blue intercellular tracking.

Maintain product integrity and brand reputation

When it comes to product development, safety and quality are of the utmost importance for protecting human health and your company’s reputation. This is true in all industries from food testing to pharmaceutical product development and manufacturing.  

ATCC is committed to raising the standards for credibility in the life sciences. We know that the validity of any microbial-based assay is dependent upon minimally passaged, fully characterized control organisms. That’s why ATCC cultures are meticulously characterized and preserved to maintain these materials in a manner that permits reproducibility of results across time and among laboratories around the world. We balance traditional biochemical testing methods with automated phenotypic and genotypic analyses. This provides highly accurate identification across a wide array of microorganisms, and can help avoid the pitfalls of misidentification, painful recalls, and regulatory repercussions. 

With nearly a century’s worth of expertise in biomaterials handling, storage, and authentication, ATCC has the credible tools you need to maintain your outstanding quality control programs. Explore our quality control resources today.

Colony of bacteria close-up 3D rendering illustration on blue background

Streamline microbial QC testing with MicroQuant™

MicroQuant™ is ATCC's new product line of precisely quantitated microbial reference materials used to streamline microbial quality control testing. We developed an innovative cryopreservation technology to provide our best-in-class microbial controls in the form of stable, rapidly rehydrating pellets that deliver consistent quantitation and accurate, reproducible results—addressing the key challenges faced by microbial testing laboratories.

Explore MicroQuant™ strains

Quality control resources

Tiny beads of pink and purple bacteria in MacConkey growth medium.

Food testing

Foodborne illnesses pose a significant economic burden and can result in extensive losses associated with healthcare costs, product recalls, liability, disease surveillance, and outbreak response. It is recommended that products, raw materials, and associated equipment are rigorously evaluated for the presence of foodborne pathogens.

Explore products for food testing
Petri dish culture of E coli bacteria

Water testing

Water is essential for human survival—from bodily functions to the manufacture of food and medicine. That’s why ensuring water quality through routine testing is paramount. Water testing can help pinpoint sources of contamination, identify contaminated water before it is used, and determine if a sterilization/purification program is working properly.

Explore products for water testing
Syringe lying across a vial on its side on blue background

Pharmaceutical testing

Microbial contamination is considered to be one of the most serious issues currently facing the pharmaceutical industry as it can affect product quality and consumer safety. Therefore, the goal of quality control testing is to ensure that relevant tests are performed and that materials are not released until they are fit for distribution.

Explore products for pharmaceutical testing
Multiple petri dishes in a variety of colors on a black background

Media testing

Media have many uses in microbiology laboratories. In basic research, it is needed for microbial growth and enumeration, differentiation and selection, and colony purification. In testing labs, it can be used to evaluate if a product has microbial contamination, if a sterilization technique is working, or if an antimicrobial is effective. Testing is crucial for reproducible results.

Explore products for media testing
Small, bright pink flat, paddle-shaped, drug-resistant, Mycoplasma genitalium bacteria, medical illustration.

Mycoplasma testing

Mycoplasma contamination is a major concern in facilities that use cell lines for the development of biopharmaceuticals for medical use as it can pose significant safety risks for patients and major economic consequences for manufacturers. To minimize these risks, proper aseptic technique combined with routine mycoplasma testing is essential.

Explore products for mycoplasma testing
ATCC Minis in rack bacillus subtilis

ATCC Minis

ATCC Minis are authenticated microbial quality control strains that are provided in a convenient, single-use, "mini" format that saves you precious time and resources. These products are provided as a 6-pack of qualitative, ready-to-use vials frozen in glycerol stock, eliminating the need to rehydrate and culture the strain prior to use. Simply open, plate, and go!

Explore ATCC Minis

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