What is ISO 4833-2 – Enumeration of microorganisms by surface plating technique about?
ISO 4833-2 is the 2nd part of ISO 4833 series on the microbiology of the food chain. ISO 4833-2 lays out a horizontal method of the enumeration of microorganisms that are able to grow and form colonies on the surface of a solid medium after aerobic incubation at 30 °C. The method described in ISO 4833-2 is applicable to products intended for human consumption or for animal feed; environmental samples in the area of food and feed production and food handling.
Who is ISO 4833-2 – Enumeration of microorganisms by surface plating technique for?
ISO 4833-2 on enumeration of microorganisms by surface plating technique is useful for:
- Regulatory bodies
- Manufacturers and suppliers of food products
- Feed manufacturing
- Quality assurance services
- Food inspectors
- Consumers of food products
Why should you use ISO 4833-2 – Enumeration of microorganisms by surface plating technique?
ISO 4833-2 gives a code of practice to test the enumeration of microorganisms by the technique of surface plating. This is done by stating the test portion, inoculation, incubation, and counting the colonies. ISO 4833-2 can be beneficial to products containing heat-sensitive organisms, products containing obligately aerobic bacteria, products that contain small particles that can prove difficult to distinguish from colonies in a pour plate, products for which distinction between different types of colonies is required as part of the assessment of food quality.
