
The Aerobic Plate Count
Theoretical plate
A theoretical plate in many separation processes is a hypothetical zone or stage in which two phases, such as the liquid and vapor phases of a substance, establish an equilibrium with each other. Such equilibrium stages may also be referred to as an equilibrium stage, ideal stage, or a theoretical tray.
Mesophile
A mesophile is an organism that grows best in moderate temperature, neither too hot nor too cold, typically between 20 and 45 °C (68 and 113 °F). The term is mainly applied to microorganisms. Organisms that prefer extreme environments are known as extremophiles.
How do I read aerobic plate count?
few species of bacteria liquify the gel in the 3M™ Petrifilm™ Aerobic Count Plate. When this occurs, determine the average count in a few unaffected squares and then multiply it by 20 to obtain the estimated count. Do not count red spots within the liquified area. For a more accurate count, further dilution of the sample may be necessary.
What is standard plate count procedure?
standard plate count. standard plate count is accomplished by diluting the culture sample and growing the bacteria up on nutrient agar. determines the number of bacteria in the diluted sample. counting the number of colonies that grow on nutrient agar. to determine the bacterial population count of original culture.
What are the aerobic and anaerobic thresholds?
Aerobic & Anaerobic Threshold Explained. Okay let’s go. Aerobic threshold or what is known sometimes as VLT 1 (ventilatory lactate threshold 1) occurs approximately at 50-60% of maximum effort or 55-75% of functional threshold power (more of that later), otherwise known as zone 1-2 training.
What muscles are aerobic?
Type I muscles can sustain aerobic activity using carbohydrates and fats as fuel. Type II, white, or fast-twitch muscles These muscles can contract rapidly and with a lot of force.

What is an acceptable aerobic plate count?
Counts outside the normal 25-250 range may give erroneous indications of the actual bacterial composition of the sample. Dilution factors may exaggerate low counts (less than 25), and crowded plates (greater than 250) may be difficult to count or may inhibit the growth of some bacteria, resulting in a low count.
Is aerobic plate count same as total plate count?
The Aerobic Plate Count (APC) is used as an indicator of bacterial populations on a sample. It is also called the aerobic colony count, standard plate count, Mesophilic count or Total Plate Count.
How do you get aerobic plate count?
Count those plates which have between 30-300 colonies. 6. The Aerobic plate count for the sample is calculated as below:- Average number of colonies on the plate x Dilution factor x 10 Calculate to per gram of the sample.
What does total plate count tell you?
This is a count of microbial load in a sample i.e. it an enumeration of all heterotrophic bacteria that will grow in aerobic or microaerophilic conditions that will grow at 350C.
What does aerobic colony count mean?
Aerobic colony count (ACC), also known as total viable count or aerobic plate count, refers to the total number of culturable bacteria (per volume or area) in a given sample. In other words, it describes what microorganisms have been found in a water sample and how many.
Is aerobic plate count a quality test or food safety test?
Aerobic plate count is the most commonly used test to assess overall sanitation. Besides the above-mentioned specific bacteria tests, other microbiological tests performed in food plants are: Salmonella spp*, Yeast and Mold, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterobacteriaceae (coliforms and other potential pathogens).
How do I reduce my aerobic plate count?
Exposure of eggshells to 30 and 60 s UV significantly reduced aerobic plate counts compared to untreated eggs. Exposure to 60 s of UV resulted in a 2 to 3 log10 cfu/egg APC reduction and reduced counts below detectable levels.
What is an acceptable total plate count in drinking water?
Heterotrophic plate counts and coliform counts, both of which are routinely run by the municipal water utility, will at least provide in indication of the potential for biofilm formation. Heterotrophic plate count levels in potable water should be <500 CFU/mL.
Why is standard plate count important?
Standard Plate Count (SPC) is useful to monitor process control and determine sources of contami- nation, but is not a true measure of specific risk pathogens in feed or of overall feed quality.
Is counting important for total aerobic bacteria?
Monitoring the total bacteria count is necessary, because the number of microorganisms shouldn't exceed certain guide values. These guide values, which are expressed in CFU (colony-forming units) per gram or milliliter, depend on the different types of food.
What is the normal range of colony count?
Laboratory Tests For that reason, up to 10,000 colonies of bacteria/ml are considered normal. Greater than 100,000 colonies/ml represents urinary tract infection. For counts between 10,000 and 100,000, the culutre is indeterminate.
What is aerobic plate count?
The Aerobic Plate Count (APC) is used as an indicator of bacterial populations on a sample. It is also called the aerobic colony count, standard plate count, Mesophilic count or Total Plate Count. The test is based on an assumption that each cell will form a visible colony when mixed with agar containing the appropriate nutrients.
What temperature does APC test?
It is not a measure of the entire bacterial population; it is a generic test for organisms that grow aerobically at mesophilic temperatures (25 to 40°C; 77 to 104°F). APC does not differentiate types of bacteria.
What is APC in food?
APC can be used to gauge sanitary quality, organoleptic acceptability, adherence to good manufacturing practices, and to a lesser extent, as an indicator of safety. APC may also provide information regarding shelf life or impending organoleptic change in a food.
Why are bacteria high in APC?
Large numbers of bacteria may be an indication may be an indication of poor sanitation or problems with process control or ingredients. Certain products, such as those produced through fermentation, naturally have a high APC. Again, low APC numbers do not equate to an absence of pathogens.
Is APC a quality indicator?
Using APC for ingredients may or may not be appropriate as a quality indicator. A food manufacturer’s decision to apply APC guidelines on ingredients must be based on the ingredient’s effect on the finished product.
What is an aerobic plate count?
Aerobic plate count. The aerobic plate count (APC) is also known as standard plate count, aerobic mesophilic count, total plate count or aerobic colony count. The APC is used to estimate the bacterial population in a food sample. It is not an evaluation of the entire bacterial population nor does it indicate differences ...
What is plate count?
The standard plate count, sometimes also referred to as the total plate count, is probably the most widely used technique for evaluating microorganisms in foods. The purpose, as its name implies, is to estimate the number of viable microorganism cells in a given sample of food.
What is DEFT APC?
DEFT/APC was devised to monitor the amount of microorganisms in food products. Typically, the food sample is treated with a proteolytic enzyme and surfactant and heated (50°C). The microorganisms are then caught by a membrane filter, stained with a fluorescent nucleic acid dye (e.g., acridine orange), and then viewed with an epifluorescent microscope. In the late 1980s, Betts et al. (1988) reported that DEFT might be employed to detect irradiated foods by comparison with the APC, a method to evaluate the amount of aerobic mesophyllic microorganisms. The DEFT microorganism count is generally unaffected by irradiation technique. It is also noteworthy that sample storage may affect the DEFT/APC results ( Jones et al., 1995 ).
How long does it take to get APC results?
The laboratory on-site at a cannabis company can test for APC; the method for APC is simple, cheap, and fast. APC results are available after 48 hours of aerobic incubation of plates at 35°C.
What is an APC?
Aerobic Plate Count. APC is used extensively throughout the food industry and may be required by the state code for cannabis products. A better use of the APC than finished product testing is testing FCSs as part of an EMP. Typically, environmental samples from NFCSs, such as floors and drains, are not tested by APC because ...
Why are fecal streptococci used as evaluators of frozen food plant sanitation?
Fecal streptococci have been used as evaluators of frozen food plant sanitation due to their ability to survive freezing. They have also been used as indicators of adequate sanitation for their ability to resist inactivation by thermal processes, drying, detergents, and disinfectants.
What is the standard plate count?
Although the standard plate count provides information about the total microbial load in a food, it also has some limitations. First, the standard plate count only tells how many cells but not what kinds of cells are present. Second, only relatively rapidly growing aerobic organisms such as bacteria are enumerated.
Which country has the aerobic plate count method?
This article mainly refers to the relevant aerobic plate count method specifications of the People's Republic of China. 1. Food Commercial Sterility Testing and Equipment.
What is the principle of aerobic bacteria plate counting?
Principle of Aerobic Bacteria Plate Counting Method. Bacteria are so small that they are hard to see with the naked eye. But after they are cultured, they grow from a single bacterium to a colony, and these colonies are easy to see and count.
What is the name of the method used to count aerobic microorganisms in food?
This method of culturing and counting aerobic microorganisms in food is called "aerobic plate count".
How to determine microorganisms in food?
Starting from the original sample concentration, add the dilution solution one by one to dilute the sample, dilute 10 times each time. Before and after each dilution, take the diluted sample and inject it evenly into the plate medium.
