Evaluation of the 3M Petrifilm Enterobacteriaceae Count plate method for the enumeration of Enterobacteriaceae in foods.

Results of the 3M Petrifilm Enterobacteriaceae Count (EB) plate method were compared with those of the standard violet red bile glucose agar (VRBG) method for the detection and enumeration of Enterobacteriaceae. Studies involving 107 bacterial strains demonstrated that the Petrifilm EB plate method is as sensitive as and more selective than the VRBG method. Sixty of the 62 pure Enterobacteriaceae cultures were recovered by both methods. In addition, 38 of the 45 non-Enterobacteriaceae organisms did not grow on the Petrifilm EB plate, while 28 of the 45 non-Enterobacteriaceae organisms did not grow on the VRBG plate. Colony counts from 174 naturally contaminated and 120 artificially inoculated dairy and nondairy food samples showed that the Petrifilm EB plate method performed as well as or better than the standard VRBG method for the enumeration of Enterobacteriaceae.