What is freeze-dried Luminase?
Luminase is a key component in ATP testing, manufactured using a process called freeze-drying. This method maximizes enzyme stability before use. Before using Luminase, it must be rehydrated by gently mixing the rehydration liquid buffer into the freeze-dried powder. Allow the mixture to dissolve for at least 5 minutes at room temperature, taking care to avoid contamination when removing the glass vial stopper.
Rehydrated (Liquid) enzyme
How should I store Luminase (both in freeze-dried and liquid format)?
Freeze-dried storage:
When you receive your shipment with enzyme, the freeze-dried Luminase can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer for best long-term storage.
Rehydrated (Liquid) enzyme:
For best results, store rehydrated Luminase in the fridge or freezer between uses. Always allow it to come to room temperature naturally before use. When stored frozen between uses, your Luminase should be good for 3-6 months from the date prepared. When stored frozen between uses, Luminase remains effective for 3-6 months from the date of preparation. When refrigerated between uses, it typically remains effective for 2-4 weeks.
You can freeze and thaw Luminase as often as required. However, for the longest lifespan, only thaw bottles of Luminase as needed for sample analysis. Store Luminase in the fridge whenever possible to extend its lifespan.
Warning: Do not use a heating element, incubator, oven, flame or water bath to warm up cold or frozen Luminase before use. The rehydrated Luciferase enzyme is very sensitive to high temperatures. Even brief exposure to temperatures above 40C (105 F) can cause rapid and permanent activity loss. Allow Luminase to warm up naturally in the ambient environment before use. Generally, 1 hour at room temperature is sufficient. You may warm the enzyme in your hands using body heat to speed up the transition from frozen to liquid.
Luminase should be disposed as normal waste. Consult the SDS for Luminase for additional information.
Luminase Enzyme and Buffer
How do I know when my Luminase is below its optimum sensitivity and I should start using a new bottle?
In general, the UltraCheck calibration values obtained for the various formulations of Luminase should be greater than or equal to the following:
Luminase: >5,000 RLU
Luminase XL: >50,000 RLU
Luminase W: >500 RLU
The activity loss of Luminase is linear from its starting activity. For example, if your starting UltraCheck 1 calibration for Luminase is 15,000 RLU and it drops to 5,000 after 4 months, you would see similar reductions in LuminaseW (1,500 to 500), AccuLight Enzyme (3,000 to 1,000), and LuminaseXL (150,000 to 50,000 RLU) over the same period.
What is the difference between Luminase, LuminaseXL, LuminaseW and LuminaseLite Enzyme?
All these reagents belong to the Luminase family but differ in activity levels and are customized for specific testing methods. It may be possible to substitute more active formulations for less active ones to increase sensitivity. Contact Technical Support for details.
Normal Luminase (Orange Label) = baseline regular Luminase used in most kits for a wide range of contamination levels (QGA, DSA, QGOM, QG21I).
LuminaseW (Brown Label) = has 1/10 the activity of regular Luminase for highly active or contaminated samples. It's used only in the Wastewater test kit (ex. QG21W).
Luminase Lite Enzyme (Green label) = roughly 1/5 the activity of regular Luminase. Used for AccuLight Basic test kit.
LuminaseXL (Blue label) = roughly 10x the activity of regular Luminase. Used in any XL test method for samples with low levels of microbial growth (ex. QGA-XL, DSA-XL, QG21S, QGOM-XLPD).