LuminUltra and Kikkoman Partner to Bring Smarter Food Safety Testing to North America

FREDERICTON, NB, Sept. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - LuminUltra, a global leader in applied molecular testing, has entered into a partnership with Kikkoman Biochemifa to expand access to its industry-leading food safety and hygiene monitoring tools across North America.

Through this agreement, LuminUltra becomes an official distributor of Kikkoman's Food Safety Testing Solutions, uniting two leaders in microbial monitoring innovation. Kikkoman brings a reputation as a globally respected food producer and trusted supplier of food safety technologies. LuminUltra brings 30+ years of proven expertise in developing tools and workflows that help industries manage their microbial challenges with confidence.

A Better Way to Monitor Food Hygiene and Safety

LuminUltra will now add the ability to support food safety and hygiene programs through two of Kikkoman's flagship tools:

• The A3 Hygiene Monitoring System detects ATP, ADP, and AMP, providing a more complete picture of surface cleanliness than traditional ATP only tests. With a more thorough picture in the same amount of time as traditional ATP, food safety teams get more data to ensure they've sanitized their production space thoroughly, and the insights to take more action if they haven't. This is especially relevant to sectors including ready-to-eat, dairy and meat products, where the impact of improper sanitization is highest.
• Easy Plate^™, a ready-to-use, self-contained culture-based solution for detecting pathogens and indicator organisms that cut prep time in half by eliminating the need for media prep or spreader step. Users get testing that is simpler, faster, and more accessible – with no special equipment required, unlike traditional plating solutions. When combined with the Colony Counting System for Easy Plate^™, labs further boost performance by eliminating the variability and time burden of manual counting.

"These solutions have been trusted by food producers and distributors across Asia and Europe for decades, but they are underutilized here in North America," said Pat Whalen, President and CEO of LuminUltra. "This is about accelerating access to more accurate and sensitive testing for the North American food and beverage market. Producers want better and more proactive insights but haven't had the access to or awareness of the right solutions. We've built our business on educating industries on why a better test matters, and we're bringing that expertise to rolling out this game-changing tools for the food & beverage industry."

An Aligned Partnership for Growth

LuminUltra and Kikkoman have built a strong working relationship over the past 30 years, collaborating on innovation and product development and united through a shared common belief that better microbial monitoring tools lead to better insights, and ultimately, better outcomes.

This expanded partnership marks a significant evolution of that relationship, formalizing a commitment to bring full-service, proven food safety technologies to more producers across North America. It also reflects LuminUltra's strategic focus on the expanding its support to the food and beverage market, where proper microbiological management is mission critical but product supply and innovation has been limited. From the acquisition of Impact Microbiology Services (IMS) in 2023 to ongoing investment in diagnostic tools, LuminUltra continues to build a comprehensive offering tailored to the unique demands of this critical sector.

"LuminUltra brings the kind of deep technical focus and customer-first mindset we value in a partner," said Yoshiaki Asami, President of the Kikkoman Biochemifa Company. "As a food manufacturer ourselves, we understand the real-world needs and challenges that QA/QC teams face every day. We have seen first-hand how valuable and important these tools are to other geographic markets across Asia and Europe. With today's announcement, we're proud to be expanding the reach of these solutions into North America and to be supporting a stronger, safer food system globally."

Learn more or connect with the LuminUltra team at luminultra.com/food. Meet the team at the Ontario Food Protection Agency's Annual Food Safety Conference, Sept. 30 – Oct. 1.

About LuminUltra

LuminUltra is a global leader in applied molecular diagnostics, operating at the nexus of food, energy and water systems. Its testing technologies, services and scientific expertise help industries turn microbial uncertainty into confident action, so they can protect what matters most. Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Canada, LuminUltra serves customers in over 80 countries. Backed by XPV Water Partners, the company is driving global growth through innovation, strategic acquisitions and a commitment to delivering confidence in every count.

About Kikkoman Biochemifa Company

A subsidiary of the Kikkoman Group, Kikkoman Biochemifa Company builds on Kikkoman's more than 100-year history and expertise in fermentation technology to develop advanced products that support modern food safety and quality control. The Kikkoman A3 and Easy Plate technologies are trusted worldwide to help food producers meet the highest standards of safety, efficiency, and quality.

SOURCE Luminultra