Aerobic Colony Count: Bacterial Load and Microbial Quality in Foods

Why is Aerobic Bacteria Counting in Foods? Results, Evaluation...

What is Aerobic Colony Count?

Aerobic colony counting is the determination of the number of all microorganisms (bacteria, yeast and mold) that grow in the presence of oxygen in a food sample. The purpose of the test is to detect the potential microbial load in foods and to demonstrate the risk of spoilage. All foodstuffs are contaminated with microorganisms at all stages from harvest to the consumer. If the microorganism load in foods exceeds limits, public health is jeopardized. Therefore, microorganism load in foods is a parameter that should be controlled especially in terms of food safety.

This analysis is performed to determine the microorganism load that may occur during production or during shelf life, especially in raw and processed foods. High microbial counts indicate loss of quality and health risk.

Aerobic bacteria counts generally determine the number of bacteria in psychrophilic, mesophilic, thermophilic groups and aerobic / anaerobic conditions. The most common microbiological analysis is the 'Total Mesophilic Aerobic Colony Count'. With analyzes such as aerobic bacteria counts, we can have an idea about the quality of the food consumed. For this reason, analysis procedures such as aerobic colony counts are carried out in order to have information about all stages of the food produced until consumption.

Total aerobic microorganism count is recognized as one of the quality parameters. Total aerobic microorganism counts can provide information about the conditions of food production, storage and transportation, the use of additives and shelf life.

Importance of Aerobic Colony Count

1. Food Safety: Foods with high numbers of microorganisms carry potential health risks. AKS is used to guarantee the microbial safety of products.
2. Hygiene Control: Helps determine if there is microbial contamination on the production line and equipment.
3. Quality Assessment: Microbial load is an indicator of product quality, especially in sensitive products such as dairy, meat and seafood.
4. Shelf Life Determination: The microbial growth of products is monitored and the deterioration process is tracked.

What are Aerobic Colony Counting Methods?

1. Pour Plate Method: The food sample is added to the medium at a certain dilution ratio and agar is poured over it. Plates left to incubate at 35-37°C are examined after 48 hours and colony counts are made.

2. Spread Plate Method: The sample is spread on the agar surface in a certain volume. It allows microorganisms to grow on the surface. Colonies are counted and microbial density is calculated.

3. Membrane Filtration Method: Suitable for liquid foods. The sample is passed through a filter and placed on filter medium. It is also used to measure the microbial quality of water.

4. Automated Counting Systems: In advanced laboratories, automated analyzers are used for AKS. They provide fast and accurate results, but are costly.

Nanolab Laboratories Group continues to provide services within the scope of Aerobic Colony Counting . We also provide services in Clostridium Botulinum Detection .

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