Petrifilm – A Simplified Technique for Microbiological Testing of Foods and Beverages

Abstract

The Petrifilm plate method represents an alternative to conventional agar plate methods for microbiological testing of foods and beverages. The Petrifilm method consists of an all-in-one plating system developed and registered by the Food Safety Division of the 3 M® Corporation. The available products (as at July 2019) include films to culture aerobic microorganisms, total Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms, Escherichia coli, yeasts and molds, heterotrophic microorganisms, lactic acid bacteria, Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus, as well as an environmental Listeria count plate. Importantly, many Petrifilm methods have been internationally validated.