New ISO 17025-certified method marks a significant advance in the standardisation of viable spore quantification for biological insecticides
Barcelona-based Futureco Bioscience says it 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’s flagship bioinsecticide Nofly. The method is the first certified under ISO 17025 standards using automated particle counting technology for viable spore quantification.
This achievement follows the recent accreditation expansion announced in July 2025, where the Spanish National Accreditation Body (Enac) recognised Futureco Bioscience’s analytical services department (ASD) for two advanced analytical procedures.
“This is not just an internal validation. It’s a certified, ISO-accredited protocol for the entire biological control input industry,” said Belén López García, Futureco’s director of analytical services. “We’re setting a new benchmark in how biopesticides like Nofly are measured, validated, and trusted by regulators, distributors, and farmers.”
Nofly is widely recognised for its efficacy against whiteflies, thrips, aphids, and other major insect pests. Until now, its microbiological quality control required manual counting of colony-forming units (CFUs) on agar plates: a process that took 2-3 days and involved significant variability and labour.
The new ISO-certified method uses the Luna FX-7 automated particle counter and a fluorescent viability staining to detect and quantify live spores in a matter of minutes, providing consistent, reproducible results across technical-grade and formulated products.
It was developed by an expert team of researchers and technicians in the molecular biology and microbiology units of Futureco Bioscience’s R&D department. “It brings speed, precision, and traceability to a process that was traditionally slow and prone to underestimation,” said Juan Bautista González López, lead scientist behind the development. “By combining fluorescence imaging with rigorous validation using certified reference materials, we’ve established a gold-standard procedure.”
“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 per cent), low standard deviation, and excellent reproducibility, even across different operators and days,” Futureco said, adding that “these metrics surpass conventional CFU-based counting, which is known to underestimate real spore counts due to colony merging and sample heterogeneity”.
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.
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.
“This is a strategic move for Futureco Bioscience and for all our partners in the field,” said Rafael Juncosa, CEO and president of Futureco. “Nofly has always been a trusted biological solution for sustainable pest control. Now, it also leads the industry in analytical traceability and regulatory compliance.”
The company said 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.
