{"id":251517,"date":"2025-09-01T13:02:19","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T12:02:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.futurecobioscience.com\/?p=251517"},"modified":"2025-09-12T09:45:20","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T08:45:20","slug":"viable-spore-quantification","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.futurecobioscience.com\/en\/viable-spore-quantification\/","title":{"rendered":"NoFly changes the rules of quality control in biological insecticides"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Early-stage colony of Cordyceps fumosorosea FE9901 grown on potato dextrose agar at 24 \u00b0C. Photo: Lola Pinyol, researcher, Microbiology Unit, Futureco Bioscience.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Developed by Futureco Bioscience to ensure faster and more accurate microbiological quality control of NoFly, the new ISO 17025-certified method marks a significant advance in the standardization of viable spore quantification for biological insecticides.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ol\u00e9rdola (Barcelona), September 2nd, 2025<\/strong> \u2013 Futureco Bioscience has achieved a new milestone in the quality control of biological crop protection products with the development and ISO 17025-accredited validation of a new quantification method for viable spores in the company\u2019s flagship bioinsecticide NoFly<\/a><\/strong>. The method is the first certified under ISO 17025 standards using automated particle counting technology for viable spore quantification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This achievement follows the recent accreditation expansion announced in July 2025, where the Spanish National Accreditation Body (ENAC)<\/a> recognized Futureco Bioscience\u2019s Analytical Services Department (ASD) for two advanced analytical procedures. Today\u2019s announcement puts a spotlight on the microbiological innovation behind that expansion, with NoFly leading the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThis is not just an internal validation. It\u2019s a certified, ISO-accredited protocol for the entire biological control input industry,\u201d said Bel\u00e9n L\u00f3pez Garc\u00eda, Director of Analytical Services<\/strong>. \u201cWe\u2019re setting a new benchmark in how biopesticides like NoFly are measured, validated, and trusted by regulators, distributors, and farmers.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

From petri dishes to fluorescent microscopy: revolutionizing viable spore quantification<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

NoFly is widely recognized for its efficacy against whiteflies, thrips, aphids, and other major insect pests<\/strong>. Until now, its microbiological quality control required manual counting of colony-forming units (CFUs) on agar plates: a process that took 2\u20133 days and involved significant variability and labor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new ISO-certified method uses the LUNA\u2122 FX-7 automated particle counter and a viability stain to detect and quantify live spores in a matter of minutes, providing consistent, reproducible results across technical-grade and formulated products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Viable-spore-quantification-NoFly\"
Juan Gonz\u00e1lez, researcher, Molecular Biology Unit, Futureco Bioscience.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Developed by an expert team of researchers and technicians in the Molecular Biology and Microbiology Units of Futureco Bioscience\u2019s R&D Department<\/strong>, the method reflects both scientific rigor and practical expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt brings speed, precision, and traceability to a process that was traditionally slow and prone to underestimation,\u201d explained Juan Bautista Gonz\u00e1lez L\u00f3pez<\/strong>, lead scientist behind the development<\/strong>. \u201cBy combining fluorescence imaging with rigorous validation using certified reference materials, we\u2019ve established a gold-standard procedure.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Accuracy, repeatability, and reliability backed by data<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The method was validated over two years using commercial batches of NoFly and its technical-grade active ingredient. It was benchmarked against certified reference materials, showing high accuracy (recovery rate of 103%), low standard deviation, and excellent reproducibility, even across different operators and days. These metrics surpass conventional CFU-based counting, which is known to underestimate real spore counts due to colony merging and sample heterogeneity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Viable-spore-quantification-method\"
Bioball\u2122 CRM with viable Candida albicans ATCC 10231 (1\u00d710^8 cells per Bioball), used to assess method accuracy.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The method also confirms long-term batch stability and verifies that the presence of co-formulants in the final product does not interfere with viable spore detection. This ensures consistent performance from production to application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A quality milestone for NoFly and biologicals industry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With this certification, NoFly becomes the first fungal biopesticide with a viable spore quantification method based on automated particle counting and validated under ISO 17025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThis is a strategic move for Futureco Bioscience and for all our partners in the field,\u201d stated Rafael Juncosa, CEO and President.<\/strong> \u201cNoFly has always been a trusted biological solution for sustainable pest control. Now, it also leads the industry in analytical traceability and regulatory compliance.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The development also paves the way for greater acceptance of biocontrol solutions in high-value export markets, where quality control and documentation are under increased scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About NoFly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

NoFly is a biological insecticide developed by Futureco Bioscience based on Cordyceps fumosorosea <\/em>FE9901. Registered and commercialized in multiple countries, it offers a sustainable and effective control of pests like whiteflies, aphids, and thrips in protected and open-field crops. Its formulation, quality, and efficacy are backed by extensive R&D and now by an industry-first certified viable spore quantification method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For further information, technical sheets or distributor queries, visit www.futurecobioscience.com or contact info@futurecobioscience.com.<\/a>
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Early-stage colony of Cordyceps fumosorosea FE9901 grown on potato dextrose agar at 24 \u00b0C. Photo: Lola Pinyol, researcher, Microbiology Unit, Futureco Bioscience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":251538,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-251517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.futurecobioscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.futurecobioscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.futurecobioscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.futurecobioscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.futurecobioscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251517"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.futurecobioscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251517\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.futurecobioscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/251538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.futurecobioscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.futurecobioscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.futurecobioscience.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}