TOTAL VIABLE COUNTS | Specific Techniques

Determination of the total viable count (TVC) in a food product is one of the simplest and widely used microbiological techniques. TVC typically is conducted to obtain information about the microbiological quality of foods. The currently available and validated methods for the determination of aerobic mesophilic microorganisms in foods discussed in this chapter include aerobic plate count method, 3M™ Petrifilm™ plate method, spiral plate method, 3M™ Redigel™ test method, SimPlate total plate count method, hydrophobic grid membrane filter method, plate loop count method, the drop plate method, and the Tempo® TVC automated total vial count.