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Measuring Growth by Plate Counts definitions

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  • Viable Cells
    Living cells capable of multiplying on growth media, distinguished from dead cells in microbial quantification.
  • Direct Cell Counting
    A method that includes both living and dead cells, making it less specific for measuring only active microbial growth.
  • Solid Growth Media
    A nutrient-rich surface, such as agar in a petri dish, used to support and visualize microbial colony formation.
  • Petri Dish
    A shallow, circular container used to culture and count microbial colonies on solid media.
  • Colony
    A visible cluster of cells on solid media, assumed to originate from a single viable cell.
  • Colony Forming Units
    A measure representing viable cells capable of forming colonies, used to estimate living cell numbers.
  • Serial Dilutions
    A sequence of stepwise dilutions performed to reduce cell concentration for accurate colony counting.
  • Liquid Culture
    A broth medium where cells are initially grown before being transferred to solid media for counting.
  • Incubation
    A process where plated cells are kept under optimal conditions to allow colony development.
  • Test Tube
    A cylindrical vessel used to hold liquid media during the preparation and dilution of microbial cultures.
  • Dilution Factor
    A numerical value indicating the extent to which a sample has been diluted, crucial for calculating original cell numbers.
  • Countable Plate
    A plate with a colony number within the reliable range, typically between 33 and 100, for accurate quantification.
  • Nonviable Cells
    Dead cells that cannot multiply or form colonies, excluded from viable cell counts.
  • Growth Media
    A nutrient solution or gel that supports the proliferation of microorganisms for study or enumeration.
  • Back to Back Dilutions
    Consecutive dilution steps performed to systematically decrease cell concentration for manageable counting.