Waltham, Mass. — Thermo Fisher Scientific has launched Thermo Scientific InstaFlux, an integrated media-on-demand enrichment workflow designed to simplify media preparation, improve productivity and strengthen sample traceability in food microbiology laboratories.
The system is intended for contract testing laboratories and food manufacturers conducting foodborne pathogen testing and environmental monitoring. It combines concentrated sterile media, a sterile water supply, automated gravimetric dispensing and digital traceability in a single workflow.
Thermo Fisher said InstaFlux allows laboratories to prepare enrichment media on demand in less than 30 minutes and supports a simplified process through sample incubation. Depending on laboratory workflows and operating conditions, the system can reduce media preparation labor by more than 80%, generate workflow cost savings of more than 35% and lower water and energy consumption by as much as 90%.
Rather than preparing and storing large batches of enrichment media, laboratories can use InstaFlux to produce only the amount needed for current testing.
Traditional media preparation often requires weighing, mixing, autoclaving, bottle handling, quality control, storage and cleanup. InstaFlux is designed to reduce several of those manual steps while supporting barcode-based workflows, digital audit trails and data integration with compatible laboratory information management systems.
“As food testing demands continue to grow, laboratories need solutions that help them do more with the resources they have,” said Claribel Purcell, interim president of the microbiology business at Thermo Fisher Scientific. “Thermo Scientific InstaFlux reflects our commitment to helping customers modernize enrichment workflows through a simpler, on-demand approach that supports productivity, traceability and long-term operational sustainability.”
The workflow supports gravimetric dispensing for sample sizes ranging from 10 grams to 125 grams. Thermo Fisher said laboratories can validate the system for use in accordance with ISO 11133, ISO 6887-1 and ISO 7218 requirements.
InstaFlux also supports barcode-driven sample preparation and digital records, with integration capabilities for compatible LIMS environments. Laboratories must confirm compatibility with their individual system configurations.
The workflow is designed for high- and medium-throughput food microbiology laboratories seeking to increase sample-processing capacity, standardize procedures across multiple sites and reduce the staffing, space and storage demands associated with conventional media preparation.
It is particularly suited to laboratories using buffered peptone water in routine enrichment workflows for foodborne pathogen testing, including testing for Salmonella and Listeria, as well as environmental monitoring applications.
Thermo Fisher said the system may also reduce packaging, plastic waste, water consumption, energy use and manual handling compared with conventional media and sample preparation methods.
The company noted that performance estimates are based on internal testing, workflow modeling and defined-use evaluations. Results may vary depending on sample volume, media type, equipment configuration, operating practices and local validation requirements.
Thermo Fisher will showcase InstaFlux at booth 200 during the International Association for Food Protection Conference, scheduled for July 26-29, 2026.
