Automated Turbidometry: A Method for Enumeration of Bacteria in Food Samples

The Bioscreen analyzer was used to determine bacterial counts in cooked food samples (sausages, hamburgers and French fries). The results indicated that the bacterial count as determined by the plate count method can be predicted accurately with the Bioscreen analyzer by using turbidometric parameters of bacterial growth. Stepwise regression analysis by the turbidometric variables was performed for the different food samples to develop a formula for predicting bacterial growth. The detection time of bacterial growth was considered the most important predictor selected by the stepwise regression analysis.