3M Food Safety announces the global launch of the 3M™ Petrifilm™ Rapid
Yeast and Mold Count Plate, an indicator test that enables the detection
of yeasts and molds in as little as 48 hours, faster than conventional
agar methods. Expanding the 3M Petrifilm Plate technology that has
become a worldwide standard for more than 25 years due to its
reliability and simplicity, this new plate also 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 a five to
seven day incubation period, the longest waiting time of all microbial
quality indicators. By incorporating a new innovative technology, the 3M
Petrifilm Rapid Yeast and Mold Count Plate greatly reduces this delay,
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
Mojdeh Poul, vice president and general manager, 3M Food Safety. “With
the 3M Petrifilm Rapid Yeast and Mold Count Plate, we are changing all
of that.”
The sample-ready system uses an easy 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 benefit from an innovative solution
that enables clearer, easier and faster than ever colony enumeration.
The 3M Petrifilm Rapid Yeast and Mold Count Plate 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 at 3M Food Safety.
“Our researchers were able to significantly improve this attribute in
addition to providing faster time-to-result with the plate.”
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 3M
Petrifilm Rapid Yeast and Mold Count Plate 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.
When 3M Petrifilm Plates launched in the mid-1980s, it was widely viewed
as a step forward in ensuring the quality and safety of food products.
Eliminating the need to prepare, purchase and store agar dishes, they
enhance lab productivity and take up 85 percent less space than agar
plates, freeing up valuable room in processors’ incubators, lab benches
and refrigerators, and reducing company waste. Today, 91 of the top 100
U.S. food processing companies rely on 3M for their indicator testing
needs.
For more information, please visit www.3M.com/foodsafety/RapidYeastAndMold.
3M Food Safety is a leader of innovative solutions that help the
food and beverage industries optimize the quality and safety of their
products to enable consumer protection. At every step, 3M Food Safety
provides solutions that help mitigate risk, improve operational
efficiencies and impact the bottom line. For more information, visit www.3M.com/foodsafety
or follow @3M_FoodSafety
on Twitter.
About 3M
3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms
them into thousands of ingenious products. Our culture of creative
collaboration inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies
that make life better. 3M is the innovation company that never stops
inventing. With $30 billion in sales, 3M employs 88,000 people worldwide
and has operations in more than 70 countries. For more information,
visit www.3M.com
or follow @3MNews
on Twitter.
3M and Petrifilm are trademarks of 3M.
Copyright Business Wire 2013