The ability for mould and yeast to thrive in raw materials under a wide range of conditions makes the early detection of these fungi a high priority for food and beverage manufacturers.
Mould and yeast- the two main groups of fungi - contribute to a significant amount of spoilage within the global food supply chain - potentially more than any other group of micro-organisms[1]. These microbes have the ability to spoil many products from yoghurt and frozen bread dough, to fermented salami, almonds, sliced apples and ready-made pies.
Traditional mould and yeast detection methods - such as agar - can take anywhere between 5-7 days to achieve a result, impacting not only on the final shelf life of the product, but also on the inventory space needed to store it. In addition to lengthy result times, agar plates are also cumbersome and time consuming to prepare leading to additional labour costs.
Specialist spoilage organisms that may be present in low water activity or low pH environments present even more of a challenge for food manufacturers as they are often not detected by traditional testing methods[2], and therefore not visible until the product begins to spoil[3]. This is where the employment of high quality, accurate mould and yeast detection methods are paramount. Not only will high quality detection methods increase testing accuracy while saving time and inventory, but they will also help your business maintain a strong reputation in the marketplace for the delivery of safe, mould and yeast free products as any contamination is identified far before the product hits the supermarket shelves.
Launched in late 2013, the 3M™ Petrifilm™ Rapid Yeast and Mold Count Plate is a sample ready culture medium system that contains nutrients supplemented with antibiotics, a cold-water-soluble gelling agent and an indicator system that facilitates yeast and mould enumeration.
Not only is the 3M Pertrifilm Rapid Yeast and Mold Count Plate, fast, accurate, compact and easy to use, but it has also been validated by AOAC INTERNATIONAL as an Official Method of Analysis for the detection of yeast and moulds within food products in as little as 48 hours.
3M™ Petrifilm™ Rapid Yeast and Mold Count Plates have also been proven to be as reliable as the DRBC and DG-18 spread plate methods, as well as the acidified PDA and YGC agar pour plate methods. Combined with the enhanced productivity achieved by eliminating the time consuming tasks associated with agar preparation, the 3M™ Petrifilm™ Rapid Yeast and Mold Count Plate are the logical solution to mould and yeast detection within food manufacturing space.
For more information on how you can add 3M™ Petrifilm™ Rapid Yeast and Mold (RYM) Count Plates into your food safety program, visit the 3M website.
