Manual of microbiological methods for the
food and drink industry

Adopt standardised methods for analysis of foods for key spoilage and pathogenic organisms.

The food microbiologist can choose from a wide variety of conventional and new (rapid) methods for the microbiological analysis of food, drink, water and food environment samples. If the user is to obtain reliable data - on which to base judgements that are technically and commercially sound - the choice should take account of the objective of the analysis, the method procedure, the nature of the sample and micro-organism of concern, and the analytical facilities available.

This manual - once more significantly revised, expanded and updated with the help of a working group drawn from food industry microbiologists - contains details for 68 standardised microbiological methods widely used in food microbiology laboratories. Each method is presented in a standard format that specifies its scope, principle, media and reagents, apparatus and procedure, and results interpretation. Flow diagrams provide an at-a-glance overview of each method, whilst detailed references point to valuable additional information - for example to validation studies and British Standards.

The methods cover detection, confirmation and enumeration of a range of established and emerging pathogens and spoilage organisms, and are fully consistent with the requirements of the Campden Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (CLAS) - for which it can be used as a reference manual for companies seeking this standard. It will also be of use to companies seeking UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) accreditation.

Price per copy:

Copies of the complete manual are priced at: £160 (members) / £240 (non-members)

Methods and micro-organisms covered:

• Standard plate count (Total viable count)
• Standard plate count (TVC) - 3M PetriFilm^TM aerobic count plate method
• Mesophilic micro-organisms - enumeration (electrical technique)
• Standard plate count (water)
• Mesophilic spore count
• Thermoduric bacteria - enumeration
• Halotolerant organisms - enumeration
• Proteolytic micro-organisms - enumeration
• Sugar samples - preparation for microbiological examination
• Yeasts and moulds - enumeration
• Yeasts and moulds - enumeration (3M PetriFilm^TM plate method)
• Osmophilic yeasts and moulds - enumeration (colony count - DG18 medium)
• Osmotolerant / osmophilic yeasts and moulds - enumeration
• Preservative resistant yeasts - enumeration
• Coliforms - enumeration (4 techniques)
• Coliforms - detection
• Enterobactereaceae - enumeration (4 techniques)
• E. coli - enumeration (colony count)
• E. coli - enumeration (alternative colony count - chromogenic medium)
• E. coli - enumeration (3M PetriFilm^TM coliform count plate method)
• E. coli - detection
• E. coli - detection and enumeration (membrane filtration)
• Pseudomonas species - enumeration (colony count)
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa - enumeration (colony count)
• Lactic acid bacteria - enumeration (colony count)
• Enterococcus species - enumeration (colony count)
• Sulphite reducing clostridia - enumeration (cultural)
• Sulphite reducing clostridia - enumeration (membrane filtration)
• Sulphite reducing clostridia - detection
• Brochothrix thermosphacta - enumeration (colony count)
• Lipolytic micro-organisms - enumeration
• Shewanella putrefaciens - enumeration
• Salmonella - detection (cultural methods)
• Salmonella - detection (immunoassay)
• Salmonella - detection (electrical)
• Salmonella - confirmation
• Listeria species - enumeration (colony count)
• Listeria species - detection (4 techniques)
• Listeria species and L. monocytogenes - detection (DNA hybridisation)
• Listeria species - confirmation
• Thermotolerant Campylobacter species - detection
• Escherichia coli O157 - detection (cultural method with magnetic separation)
• Staphylococcus aureus (coagulase positive staphylococci) - enumeration (colony count - Baird-Parker medium)
• Staphylococcus aureus (coagulase positive staphylococci) - enumeration (colony count - RPF medium)
• Staphylococcus aureus (coagulase positive staphylococci) - detection
• Clostridium perfringens - enumeration (colony count technique)
• Bacillus cereus - enumeration (colony count)
• Vibrio cholerae - detection
• Vibrio parahaemolyticus - detection
• Legionella species in water - detection (cultural method)
• Aeromonas species - detection
• Yersinia species or Yersinia enterocolitica - detection
• Enterobacter sakazakii - detection
• Gram differentiation tests
• Oxidase test
• Catalase test
• Motility test
• Spore stain