Synbiosis says that a study using the ProtoCol RGB advanced colony counter demonstrated significantly increased productivity when testing food for bacteria
Researchers at the highly regarded Department of Food Science, Queen's University Belfast/Department of Agriculture and Rural Development showed that Synbiosis's ProtoCol RGB doubled the sample throughput when compared with traditional plating and counting protocols.
In the study, the system was used to enumerate pathogenic and spoilage bacteria from a variety of food products plated out on spiral plates (produced using a non-selective, non-coloured medium) and spread plates (plated on a selective, coloured medium).
David McCleery, project leader in the Department of Food Science said: "We have yet to fully exploit the power of this technology in our laboratory.
However, the indications are that ProtoCol RGB offers us the flexibility for a number of diverse applications.
In fact, we are so confident it will be beneficial that we have proposed using it in part of our research contribution to a future national study." Simon Johns, international product manager for Synbiosis commented: "We are delighted that the Department of Food Science has shown that the ProtoCol RGB can obtain more rapid results than traditional methods.
Its proven ability to quickly enumerate a range of colony colours on different plate types will be essential for food microbiology laboratories that want automation as well as an outstanding level of flexibility."
