Synbiosis is pleased to announce that independent research has verified the åCOLyte SuperCount automated colony counter is as accurate as manual counting for enumerating a variety of different bacterial colonies.

The study carried out at Don Whitley Scientific's GLP compliant laboratories in Shipley, UK compared the åCOLyte SuperCount with manual counting to enumerate a range of bacterial colonies on opaque and clear agar plates. All the bacteria were serially diluted and spiral plated using a Whitley Automatic Spiral Plater (WASP). Colony counts were performed using both methods and the agreement between counts for each plate type was examined statistically using the paired T test.

Helen Jolliffe, Study Director at Don Whitley Scientific explained: "We plated bacteria such as E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis, as well as a mixed population of unidentified organisms from raw minced beef onto a range of agars, including plate count agar, Columbia blood agar and nutrient agar."

"We counted over 160 plates manually and with the åCOLyte SuperCount to ensure we had a representative sample size. Comparison of the counts showed there was no significant statistical difference between these counting methods, so we can confidently say the åCOLyte SuperCount can be used as an alternative to manual counting of spiral plates," concluded Jolliffe.

Simon Johns, International Product Manager for Synbiosis added: "We are extremely pleased the åCOLyte SuperCount system has fared so well in this independent study. The report clearly shows automated counting does not compromise accuracy, and will give microbiologists using an åCOLyte SuperCount greater confidence in their results. The fact that it has been extensively tested with a range of commonly found bacteria and plate types, indicates it is an excellent time saving tool for any busy microbiology laboratory."