Charm® Peel Plate® AC Microbial Test (Peel Plate AC)

Peel Plate AC microbial tests detect and enumerate aerobic bacteria in dairy, food, serial dilutions of food, and water samples. Sample or sample dilution is added and incubated in the dark for 48 hours at 32 °C ± 1 °C for dairy products and 35 °C ± 1 °C for other matrices. Peel Plate AC tests are intended for microbiological laboratories, but may also be used by food quality stakeholders such as farmers, milk processors, and water municipalities. The method sensitivity is greater than 1 colony forming units per milliliter (>1 CFU/mL) of test sample. The accurate quantitative range is defined as 25 to 250 CFU/mL.

Benefits of the Peel Plate AC Test Include

• Ready-to-use. Just add sample/dilution. No spreading device needed.
• Etched grid lines for estimated counts.
• Colonies easily picked for additional isolation/classification.
• Convenient plate stacking for improved air circulation.
• Buffered formulation – pH not required for most samples.
• 12 month refrigerated shelf-life in a resealable foil zip bag.
• Robust performance with neutralizing buffers used in environmental surface samples.
• 47 mm diameter convenient for water filters and 100 mL water samples or larger.
• AOAC-RI and NCIMS Validated Matrices.
• Automated counting and data storage when used with the Charm Peel Plate Colony Counter

FOR DETECTION AND ENUMERATION OF AEROBIC BACTERIA

The Peel Plate AC test is based on Standard Methods agar to support and colorimetrically identify the growth of aerobic bacteria. Peel Plate AC media contains the enzyme substrate 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC). TTC is reduced by living bacteria to produce red colored colonies. The media also contains gelling and wicking agents which absorb and diffuse the sample.

The Peel Plate AC test has been certified by the AOAC Research Institute as Performance Tested Method 071501

This test kit’s performance was reviewed by AOAC-RI and was found to perform to the manufacturer’s specifications. The Peel Plate AC test has been validated at 32 °C ± 1 °C for 48 ± 3 hours in raw cow, goat, and sheep milk, and pasteurized whole milk, skim milk, chocolate milk, 20 % cream, non-fat dried milk, UHT milk, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla ice cream, strawberry milk, and lactose reduced milk and found to not be significantly different from the standard plate count agar reference method. Aerobic count is not applicable to cultured dairy products.

The Peel Plate AC test has been validated at 35 °C ± 1 °C for 48 ± 3 hours for non-dairy matrices including ground beef and turkey, liquid eggs, dry dog food, environmental surface sponges, and carcass rinses and was found to not be significantly different from the standard plate count agar reference method.

Samples should be 10-fold serially diluted into the countable range of 25 to 250 CFU/mL.

Download Product Sheet

Peel Plate® AC Microbial Test Brochure