3M Food Safety has launched worldwide the 3M Petrifilm Rapid Yeast and Mold Count Plate, an indicator test that helps detect yeasts and molds in 48 hours, which is reportedly faster than conventional agar methods.
Additionally, this new plate offers food processors a simplified solution for inoculation along with an easy, consistent way to interpret and enumerate colonies.
Conventional agar testing methods for yeast and molds require an incubation period of five to seven days.
By incorporating a new innovative technology, the 3M Petrifilm Rapid Yeast and Mold Count Plate greatly reduces this period, improving time-to-result, productivity gains, finished goods inventory and product shelf life.
“Yeast and mold indicator testing is extremely important for determining product freshness and quality, but the current testing process is so long that it can hold up a product’s release for several days.” said VP and GM Mojdeh Poul.
Features
The sample-ready system uses a three-step process: inoculation, incubation and enumeration.
With the reduced incubation time of as little as 48 hours along with the flexibility of incubation at 25° C or 28° C, food processors can have a clearer, easier and faster than ever colony enumeration.
The system results in blue-colored yeast and mold colonies and contains technological enhancements that prevent colonies from spreading or overlapping, providing superior interpretation.
“Being able to clearly enumerate the colonies when there are large, overlapping molds was another important customer need we kept hearing about,” said Eric Amann, global marketing manager.
“Our researchers were able to significantly improve this attribute in addition to providing faster time-to-result with the plate.”
The company says the technology has been rigorously tested to perform well on both low and high water activity foods, and will be especially useful for processors of grain, fruit and dairy products where yeast and mold control is particularly important.
In addition to foods, the system can also be used for air, swab or surface contact environmental testing.
Food processors can obtain a quantitative assessment of both yeast and molds together, or as a separate count by visually differentiating between the two forms of fungi.
