Research & Data
The science behind AquaVial — independently verified, openly published.
Most at-home water-testing brands ask you to take their accuracy claims on faith. We don't. Every AquaVial product is grounded in peer-reviewed chemistry, validated against regulatory-grade laboratory reference methods, and tested in real-world field conditions by independent academic partners.
5
Academic partners across the validation portfolio
12
Reference microorganisms tested in foundational studies
100%
Concordance with lab plates in the Valens Lake field study
ISO
9001:2015 certified; ISO 17025 lab verification in progress
Tier 1 · Independent Lab Validation
Verified by independent, accredited laboratories
These studies were designed, conducted, and reported by third parties using regulatory-grade reference methods.
Third-Party ISO 17025 Lab Publication Pending
ExactBlue EZ Performance Verification
Centre for Advancement of Water and Wastewater Technologies (CAWT) · Fleming College · September 2025
12 CFU/100 mL
Detection sensitivity — exceeds the 20 CFU/100 mL spec
- Performed in CAWT's ISO 17025:2017-accredited laboratory
- Direct comparison against the IDEXX Quanti-Tray M548 method
- All tests performed in triplicate using E. coli Certified Reference Material
- Negative control remained negative throughout
Publication status: The CAWT report is in final review at Fleming College. The signed PDF will be published here as soon as it is approved.
Third-Party Field Validation Published
AquaVial EX — 36-Sample Field Validation
Fleming College Biotechnology Program · Valens Lake Conservation Area, ON · July–August 2022
36 of 36
Positive coliform detections — 100% concordance with Chromocult plate counts
- Twelve days, three distinct beach locations, 36 paired sample events
- Reference method: Chromocult Coliform Agar (regulatory gold standard)
- Bacterial loads from 20 to 440 CFU/mL coliform; E. coli on 26 of 36 events
- Zero false negatives, zero false positives
Tier 2 · Foundation Research
Built on multi-university academic research
AquaVial's detection chemistry — branded AquAssay — originated in academic laboratories and has been characterized against a wide range of reference microorganisms.
University Research Published
AquAssay Multi-Organism Efficacy & Detection-Limit Study
University of Waterloo (Anderson Lab) · Western University (Rehmann Lab) · Lambton College Water Institute · 2018
500 CFU/mL
Visual detection limit at 60 minutes with 20× syringe-filter concentration — across all 12 reference organisms tested
-
12 reference microorganisms tested in pure culture, including E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Legionella pneumophila, Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus megaterium
- Spectrophotometric dose-response curves at 650 nm
- Detection-limit testing also covered Klebsiella varicola, Mycobacteria terrae, and Candida albicans
- Reagent mechanism characterized via SEM imaging of nanoparticle–cell membrane binding
Tier 3 · Application Studies
Real-world performance in deployed systems
Application Case Study Published
AquaVial Safe Check — UV Disinfection Verification
ExactBlue Technologies Inc. · Cambridge, ON · October 2021
UV ≠ Safe
UV disinfection efficacy varies dramatically with flow rate and lamp characteristics.
- Two UV disinfection systems tested at flow rates from 25 to 1,500 mL/min
- Bacterial survival increased near-exponentially with flow rate for Lamp 1
- Lamp 2 showed unpredictable performance — failing at in-spec flow rates
- Safe Check results corroborated heterotrophic plate count (HPC) reference at every flow rate
Certifications
Quality system, audited and verifiable
All certifications below are independently verifiable via their issuing registries.
ISO 9001:2015 — Quality Management System
Development and production of test kits for microbial and water testing. IAF Scope 19.
ISO 17025:2017 — Verification Laboratory
AquaVial test kits are verified by CAWT at Fleming College, which holds ISO 17025:2017 accreditation — the international standard for testing-laboratory competence.
Available on Request
Additional technical documentation
Some of our internal quality and stability documentation is available to qualified buyers, distributors, regulators, and research partners. Contact info@exactblue.com.
AquaVial Coliform Vial — Stability Study Report (April 2026)
30 individual stability tests across 13 production lots and 4 product formats. 100% pass rate; 6-month shelf life confirmed.
Certificates of Analysis (per lot)
Lot-specific COAs available for VAC-205-100, VIC-205-100, VLE-152-100, and VLE-152-200 product codes.
SARS-CoV-2 Aptamer Nanoparticle Detection Research
Published 2022 in Talanta with McMaster University and the University of Waterloo. View on PubMed →
Foundational Peer-Reviewed Paper
Tanvir & Anderson (2017). Colorimetric enumeration of bacterial contamination in water based on β-galactosidase gold nanoshell activity. View on PubMed →
A note on how we present validation data
We publish studies with their full methodology, sample sizes, and limitations stated openly — including studies with small sample sizes that recommend follow-up work. Where a study was performed by a third-party laboratory or academic partner, the conducting institution is named and credited; where a study is internal, we label it as an application case study, not as independent validation. Questions? Email info@exactblue.com.
