Testing for coliforms and E.coli

For companies wishing to test water samples for the presence of coliforms and E.coli, help is at hand with the innovative Biotrace Colilert hygiene monitoring product range

Biotrace International, the leading manufacturer and supplier of specialist microbiology and life science products, has added two new water tests to its rapid and innovative hygiene monitoring product range - Colilert and Colilert-18.

Both products can detect coliforms and E.coli in a water sample in 24 hours or less.

Manufactured by Idexx the Colilert product range is available from Biotrace Fred Baker - the UK distribution centre for Biotrace International - and through the Biotrace French subsidiary, Biotrace SA.

Colilert is highly sensitive with a detection of 1 cfu/100ml, and is suitable for water samples to determine the presence or absence of coliforms.

These samples could include potable water, process water, cleaning water and any water used in food and beverage production.

Such testing could form part of an overall company HACCP regime.

Colilert is a well-proven product and provides significantly faster and more reliable results than traditional methods and requires less than one-minute hands-on time.

It is approved by over 25 international organisations including US EPA, AOAC, IBWA and EBWA and is mentioned in the new Report 71 2002.

Colilert can be used in two ways, to give a presence/absence result and for quantification using an MPN method.

For a presence or absence result for coliforms, a sample of water is collected, the user simply adds a unit dose of prepared media to the sample and incubates for 18 or 24 hours (Colilert-18 or Colilert respectively).

The sample changes to yellow to indicate the presence of coliforms and fluoresces under UV light if E.coli is present.

To quantify the number of coliforms and E.coli present, the Idexx Quanti-Tray or Quanti-Tray2000 can be used.

Peter Roberts, Joint Managing Director at Biotrace Fred Baker Ltd explains the benefits of using these systems: "The speed and simplicity of the tests mean companies can react to a problem much more quickly as the result is available in less than 24 hours.

This means a company can feel more in control of their water system and overall production quality".

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