In order for any attempted bioremediation project to result in success, the bacterial population being employed must remain alive and multiply in the site matrix. Survival, or viability, of the workforce is simply mandatory. Obviously, many parameters are of importance to microbes. Simply stated, biotreatability testing will show whether or not desired results can be obtained.

Microbiologists have long known that counting colonies on agar plates is not a reliable method of estimating the total number of microbes in a sample. There are simply too many variables that limit this method. It can be clearly seen from microscopic analysis that there are many bacteria that just do not grow under a given set of circumstances. Sometimes only a small percentage of microbes present in a sample will form colonies; the others appear to be in some form of dormant state. Those organisms that are visible can sometimes be stimulated to grow colonies and sometimes they can't. Thus, the claim for great numbers of microbes in a commercial product in itself are meaningless. The important information comes from viability testing of specific degraders in the site-specific soil or groundwater, which is what we at Bio-Form LLC do to determine what microorganisms to include in our formulas.

Bio-Form LLC's microbes can survive long periods of harsh environment through the mechanism of endospore formation. Whenever stress pressure is sufficient on these microbes (as occurs in periods of drought, starvation, etc.), metabolism rates fall to a point where sporulation is triggered. This causes the microbe to expel excess water and cell contents, concentrate genetic material, and form an encapsulated envelope which is impervious to the outside conditions. In this spore form, the organism is dormant and does not metabolize, respire, or reproduce. It simply rests and waits for favorable environmental conditions for germination. Spores can withstand considerable trauma over long periods of time including heating, desiccation, freezing, toxins, and high salt environments.

When desiccated to dryness, spores remain viable for centuries, and possibly millennia. In addition, they become much more resistant to radiation and toxic chemicals. It is due to this ability to form spores and resting stages that Bio-Form LLC's microbes can survive severe conditions.