PLATE COUNT AGAR (STANDARD PLATE AGAR)

Plate Count Agar is a general-purpose medium for the determination of the microbiological plate count in foods, waste water and clinical materials. It permits growth of a wide variety of organisms and is recommended for use in bacterial routine counts when a quantitative estimation of viable microbial load is required.
Tryptone supplies amino acids and other complex nitrogenous substances necessary for the growth of the microorganisms, and the yeast extract contributes B-complex vitamins and some other growth factors. Dextrose is a source of carbon and energy for the metabolism of microorganisms. Agar is the solidifying matrix required for plate-based cultivation and colony development.
After inoculation and incubation under appropriate conditions, microorganisms able to grow on the medium form visible colonies, the number of which can be counted to give the microbial plate count of the sample under test. The simple nutrient composition of Plate Count Agar favors its use for carrying out the enumerations in different testing environments on a routine basis. Since it can be used for the analysis of food, sewage, and clinical samples, it is a convenient medium for those laboratories that are doing microbial counts and tracking the microbial load on different types of samples.

Suitable for determining viable microbial counts in food, wastewater and clinical samples, supporting routine bacterial enumeration through plate count methods.