AM Scientific

HiMedia's Plate Count Agar (Standard Methods Agar) is a dehydrated culture medium recommended by organizations like the APHA and FDA for counting the total number of microorganisms in food, water, and wastewater samples. It uses a combination of tryptone and yeast extract to provide a nutrient-rich environment for microbial growth, typically incubated using the pour plate method. Intended use

• Purpose: To determine the total plate count of microorganisms.
• Specimen types: Food, dairy products, water, and wastewater.
• Microorganism types: Primarily used for aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria. Principle
  • Nutrient sources: Tryptone provides amino acids and other complex nitrogenous substances, while yeast extract supplies Vitamin B complex, creating a nutrient-rich base for microbial growth.
  • Growth medium: The agar solidifies to form a gel for the pour plate technique, where samples are mixed with molten agar before pouring into a plate.
  • Standardization: It is the standard medium recommended by the American Public Health Association (APHA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for plate counts. How to use 
    • Preparation: Suspend 23.523.523.5 grams of the powder in 100010001000 ml of purified/distilled water.
    • Incubation:
      • For mesophilic bacteria: Incubate at 30°C30 degrees cap C30°�� for 727272 hours.
      • For thermophilic bacteria: Incubate at 55°C55 degrees cap C55°��.
      • For psychrophilic bacteria: Incubate at 6.5°C6.5 degrees cap C6.5°�� for 101010 days. 
      • Composition
        • Tryptone
        • Yeast Extract
        • Agar
        Quality and storage
        • Appearance: A cream to yellow colored, homogeneous, free-flowing powder.
        • Storage: Store tightly sealed in the container at the recommended temperature to maintain performance within the expiry period.