MetaInsight
Environmental Microbiome AnalysisProfile the whole microbial community, not just a single isolate.
Quote on requestMetaInsight reads an entire environmental microbiome rather than one isolate. From a soil, water or sediment sample we profile the bacterial and fungal community by metabarcoding (16S rRNA and ITS) and, where structure-plus-function is needed, by shotgun metagenomics. Turnaround is up to 40 working days; pricing is quoted on request, driven by sample count and the depth of the question.
It is built for co-operatives, consultants, agencies and research consortia running soil-biodiversity or environmental monitoring programmes. For routine, modular soil-health tracking start with SoilCheck; to name a single isolated organism, see BioID.
Diversity, structure, function — the whole community in one analysis.
Microbiome Characterisation for Environmental Matrices
MetaInsight characterises the microbial community of environmental samples — soil, water, sediment — through metabarcoding (16S rRNA for bacteria and ITS for fungi) and/or shotgun metagenomics. The combination of robust sequencing and reproducible bioinformatics pipelines yields a detailed view of microbial composition, richness and potential ecological function.
The service supports applications in sustainable agriculture, environmental monitoring, biotechnology and ecological-quality assessment.
Three Routes Through the Same Sample
- DNA extraction from your environmental samples (soil, water, etc.)
- Sequencing at our specialist partner facility with full chain of custody
- Bioinformatics analysis with established, reproducible pipelines
- Custom report tailored to the question you bring us
From sample receipt to final report. Includes external sequencing and bioinformatics.
Driven by sample count and the depth of the question. Get in touch for a tailored quote.
The Method Behind Soil-Biodiversity Monitoring
The EU Soil Monitoring Law (Directive (EU) 2025/2360) places the monitoring obligation on Member States, which must transpose it by 17 December 2028 and run their first measurements by 17 December 2030 on roughly six-year cycles. It is not a legal duty on individual farmers. DNA metabarcoding of bacterial and fungal communities is the core method behind soil-biodiversity monitoring, and that is exactly what MetaInsight delivers — making it our primary instrument for co-operatives, consultants and agencies designing Soil Monitoring Law–aligned monitoring programmes.
For modular, season-to-season soil-health tracking alongside a monitoring programme, pair MetaInsight with SoilCheck.
Complementary Services
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between metabarcoding and shotgun metagenomics?
Metabarcoding sequences a single taxonomic marker (16S for bacteria, ITS for fungi) and gives you a diversity profile for that group. Shotgun metagenomics sequences the whole community DNA and recovers bacteria, fungi, archaea and viruses, plus functional information — at a higher cost per sample and a longer turnaround.
Can I run both bacteria and fungi together?
Yes — you can order metabarcoding for bacteria only, fungi only, or both in the same submission. Pricing scales accordingly.
How long does the analysis take?
Up to 40 working days. The pipeline includes DNA extraction, sequencing at our partner facility, bioinformatics processing and report writing — the report is the part that scales with the depth of the question you bring us.
What does the report look like?
A custom report tailored to the question. For metabarcoding we focus on diversity indices, taxonomic composition and group comparisons. For shotgun metagenomics we add functional pathways relevant to nutrient cycling and organic-matter turnover.
Ready to start?
Send us your samples, share your research question, or tell us about your project — we'll design the right analytical protocol.
Request analysis