Unlike charged particle beams such as heavy ions, neutron beams carry no electric charge and possess exceptional penetrating power. This allows them to induce nuclear reactions deep within biological samples and deliver irradiation energy evenly, even in liquid suspensions or aquatic cultures where uniform exposure was previously difficult to achieve.

Because of this property, neutron beams enable the simultaneous irradiation of large volumes of microbial samples in water, making it possible to generate a high number of mutants efficiently and consistently.

High-energy neutron beams can induce mutations at doses that do not compromise cell viability. This enables a high mutation frequency while maintaining a low mortality rate, dramatically improving the efficiency of screening for desirable mutants.
Under optimized conditions, new strains can be developed in as little as one week^*1, and QFF’s results show that useful mutations can be achieved in one-sixth the time required for UV irradiation.

Neutron breeding demonstrates an outstanding ability to induce random mutations^*2, making it particularly effective for microbial strain development. For microorganisms where target genes are unknown or genome editing is not feasible, generating large numbers of random mutations allows for the efficient discovery of advantageous traits.
Furthermore, neutron irradiation produces a broad spectrum of genetic variation — from small-scale changes such as SNPs to large-scale deletions, insertions, and chromosomal rearrangements. This versatility is especially valuable for adapting strains to industrial environments or enhancing production performance in bioprocess applications.

QFF has successfully introduced mutations in a wide range of biological resources, including microalgae, lactic acid bacteria, yeast, E. coli, Bacillus species, and filamentous fungi.
Our neutron irradiation technology can be applied to prokaryotes, eukaryotes, and archaea alike.
For more information or technical consultation, please contact us — our team will be glad to assist you. Contact Us