Preparation, production, storage and performance testing of culture media

Spotlight on ISO 11133:2014 “Microbiology of food, animal feed and water -- Preparation, production, storage and performance testing of culture media.”

Culture media is of fundamental importance for most microbiological tests: to obtain pure cultures, to grow and count microbial cells, and to cultivate and select microorganisms. Without high-quality media, the possibility of achieving accurate, reproducible, and repeatable microbiological test results is reduced.

ISO 11133:2014 defines terms related to quality assurance of culture media and specifies the requirements for the preparation of culture media intended for the microbiological analysis of food, animal feed, and samples from the food or feed production environment as well as all kinds of water intended for consumption or used in food production. These requirements are applicable to all categories of culture media prepared for use in laboratories performing microbiological analyses.

ISO 11133:2014 also sets criteria and describes methods for the performance testing of culture media. It applies to producers such as:

• commercial bodies producing and/or distributing ready-to-use or semi-finished reconstituted or dehydrated media;
• non-commercial bodies supplying media to third parties;
• microbiological laboratories preparing culture media for their own use.

For details see: ISO

Posted by Dr. Tim Sandle