Specific by design
Enzymatic recognition targets one nitrogen form, even in salty or murky water.
Technology
Biology for specificity, electrochemistry for speed
Each Specio test strip is a miniature lab, engineered layer by layer to give one specific nitrogen answer in minutes.
Inside the strip
Four layers, one specific answer
Hover, tap or tab through each layer to see what it does.
The handheld
A reader that fits where your hand does
The reader is the other half of the test. The cartridge slides into one end; the reader powers it, reads the current it produces and sends a clear number to your phone over Bluetooth. There is no screen to learn — your phone is the display. No bench, no reagents, no calibration step.
- Format
- Handheld, about the weight of a phone
- Sample
- One drop of water, 50–70 µL
- Sample preparation
- None
- Time to result
- 3.5 minutes
- Nitrite range
- 0.025–5 mg/L (as N)
- Water types
- Freshwater and marine
- Calibration
- Pre-calibrated strips (QR code)
- Display
- None on the device — results appear on your phone
- Connectivity
- Bluetooth sync to the smartphone app (iOS, Android)
Everyday use
Convenient and Affordable
Routine checks stay affordable because they stop going to a lab: a Specio test costs a fraction of a certified lab test.
- One drop of water is enough — no sample prep, no reagents to mix and no standards to run.
- A lab-grade nitrite result in 3.5 minutes, where the water is.
- About the weight of a phone, so it travels in a pocket or a sampling kit.
- Works in fresh and salt water, and murky water does not distort the reading.
- Every reading is time-stamped and saved in the Specio app, ready to export.
- Minimal training: insert a strip, add a drop, read the result.
Connected via Bluetooth
Test result
Test complete
NitriteNO₂⁻
0.12
mg/L (as N)
- Sample
- Water sample 01
- Test time
- 3.5 minutes
- Sync
- Received from reader
Illustrative result · Operational screening
Five pillars
Patent protected
European patent granted · US patent pending.
Turbidity-free
We measure current, not color, so cloudy or colored water doesn't distort results.
Pre-calibrated
Each strip carries its own calibration (QR code). No standards, no setup.
Precedented
Enzyme-based methods already have regulatory standing. An enzyme nitrate method is a US Geological Survey standard method.
Labs, sensors and Specio: three roles
Three roles, one picture
Specio works alongside certified labs and online sensors, not against them. Most well-run water systems need all three.
Certified labs
The certified record
Best for: Compliance reporting, baselines, full nutrient panels.
Limits: Results take days, and budgets allow few samples.
Specio on site
The fast, specific answer
Best for: Daily checks, the gaps between lab samples, checking sensors, choosing which samples to send to the lab.
Limits: Spot tests, not continuous.
Online sensors
The continuous trend
Best for: 24/7 alarms and process control at fixed points.
Limits: Costly per site; drift and fouling need regular checks.
Validated against the gold standard
Checked against the lab reference
In pilots with fish farms in Scotland, Norway and Portugal, Specio nitrite readings agreed with the Griess method, the laboratory reference, across trout, salmon smolt, carp, tilapia and shrimp systems.
Availability
What Specio can help you measure today
| Measurement | Freshwater & wastewater | Marine & brackish |
|---|---|---|
| Nitrite (NO₂⁻) | Available now | Available now |
| Nitrate (NO₃⁻) | Launching 2027 | Launching 2027 |
| Ammonia (NH₃) | Available now | Launching 2028 |
Availability depends on salinity, not source. Municipal wastewater is low-salinity. High-salinity industrial wastewater: contact us.
The science behind it
Specio is built on more than 25 years of peer-reviewed research on nitrite electrochemical sensors.
An efficient non-mediated amperometric biosensor for nitrite determination
Biosensors and Bioelectronics
Read the research summaryBilirubin oxidase as a single enzymatic oxygen scavenger for the development of reductase-based biosensors in the open air and its application on a nitrite biosensor
Biosensors and Bioelectronics
Read the research summaryEnhanced direct electron transfer of a multihemic nitrite reductase on single-walled carbon nanotube modified electrodes
Read the research summaryProbing the surface chemistry of different oxidized MWCNT for the improved electrical wiring of cytochrome c nitrite reductase
Electrochemistry Communications
Read the research summarySynthesis of WO₃ nanoparticles for biosensing applications
Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical
Read the research summaryConstruction of effective disposable biosensors for point of care testing of nitrite
Talanta
Read the research summary