OPERATION OF COLONY COUNTER (MAKE: CINTEX)

• OPERATING PROCEDURE OF COLONY COUNTER:

• MAKE: CINTEX

• COLONY COUNTER: A colony counter is a device used in microbiology labs to count colonies of bacteria or other microorganisms growing on a culture plate. These colonies arise from single cells that have reproduced to form visible masses. Colony counting is essential for many applications, such as determining the number of bacteria in a food sample, testing the effectiveness of an antibiotic, or counting the number of transformed cells in a genetic experiment.

• Place the instrument on a clean and flat surface and connect the unit to the main supply.
• Connect plug of the audio marker pen to the probe socket.
• Keep the petri dish on the glass provided.Position the instrument in a convenient angle with the help of adjustable handle.
• Switch on the mains and illumination.Mark the colonies with the auto marker pen; beep sound ensures that the colony has been counted.
• Number of colonies counted is displayed. After the completion of counting press reset.
• Magnifier is also provided for accurate counting of small or closely spaced colonies.
• After completing the count entry shall be made in FORMAT-I.
• Clean the colony counter with lint free cloth.Reading/counting for colony forming units (viable particles) on plates.
• After completion of incubation period remove the plates from the incubator.
• Observation of plates related to Environmental monitoring, water testing, MLT, GPT and other microbiological testing shall be read by visual inspection and also by using a colony counter for counting the colonies.
• The light transfers from the bottom of the plate and reaches the agar surface so that colonies can be viewed clearly through magnifying lens (Ensure to adjust the magnifying lens as per requirement).
• Count the colonies by pressing the tip of the marker over colonies and the digital display will show the total number of colonies present in a plate.
• Verify the plates visually in the well illuminated background for any colonies present in the edges of the media plate.
• After visually check for any minute colonies if observer read with colony counter marker and confirm that all the colonies are read and then record the display reading in the respective reports.
• Open the lid of the plate for few seconds where necessary to confirm no minute colonies are missed during observations, or in case of any condensation on the lid.
• If nil count are observed on the plate, open the lid of plate confirm with the visual observation and record in respective reports.
• Ensure that all the colonies of the plate under observation are counted before recording the results in the respective reports.

• ANNEXURES: 

• ABBREVIATIONS:

Annexure-I
USAGE LOG SHEET FOR COLONY COUNTER