Replicate Counting Errors by Analysts and Bacterial Colony Counters

Abstract

Replicate counting errors were computed when a plate of a sample of pasteurized milk was counted twice by one analyst and twice by two analysts. The results were used to make recommendations for revising methods for the determination of bacterial counts of milk in Standard Methods for the Examination of Dairy Products and to evaluate the counting accuracy of four bacterial colony counters used to enumerate the aerobic plate count of 14 food products.