3M Food Safety announces the global launch of the 3M™ Petrifilm™ Rapid Yeast and Mold Count Plate, an indicator test that enables the detection of yeasts and molds in as little as 48 hours, faster than conventional agar methods. Expanding the 3M Petrifilm Plate technology that has become a worldwide standard for more than 25 years due to its reliability and simplicity, this new plate also offers food processors a simplified solution for inoculation along with an easy, consistent way to interpret and enumerate colonies.

Conventional agar testing methods for yeast and molds require a five to seven day incubation period, the longest waiting time of all microbial quality indicators. By incorporating a new innovative technology, the 3M Petrifilm Rapid Yeast and Mold Count Plate greatly reduces this delay, improving time-to-result, productivity gains, finished goods inventory and product shelf life.

“Yeast and mold indicator testing is extremely important for determining product freshness and quality, but the current testing process is so long that it can hold up a product´s release for several days,” said Mojdeh Poul, vice president and general manager, 3M Food Safety. “With the 3M Petrifilm Rapid Yeast and Mold Count Plate, we are changing all of that.”

The sample-ready system uses an easy three-step process: Inoculation, Incubation and Enumeration. With the reduced incubation time of as little as 48 hours along with the flexibility of incubation at 25° C or 28° C, food processors can benefit from an innovative solution that enables clearer, easier and faster than ever colony enumeration. The 3M Petrifilm Rapid Yeast and Mold Count Plate results in blue-colored yeast and mold colonies and contains technological enhancements that prevent colonies from spreading or overlapping, providing superior interpretation.

“Being able to clearly enumerate the colonies when there are large, overlapping molds was another important customer need we kept hearing about,” said Eric Amann, global marketing manager at 3M Food Safety. “Our researchers were able to significantly improve this attribute in addition to providing faster time-to-result with the plate.”

The technology has been rigorously tested to perform well on both low and high water activity foods, and will be especially useful for processors of grain, fruit and dairy products where yeast and mold control is particularly important. In addition to foods, the 3M Petrifilm Rapid Yeast and Mold Count Plate can also be used for air, swab or surface contact environmental testing. Food processors can obtain a quantitative assessment of both yeast and molds together, or as a separate count by visually differentiating between the two forms of fungi.

When 3M Petrifilm Plates launched in the mid-1980s, it was widely viewed as a step forward in ensuring the quality and safety of food products. Eliminating the need to prepare, purchase and store agar dishes, they enhance lab productivity and take up 85 percent less space than agar plates, freeing up valuable room in processors´ incubators, lab benches and refrigerators, and reducing company waste. Today, 91 of the top 100 U.S. food processing companies rely on 3M for their indicator testing needs.

For more information - please visit www.3M.com/foodsafety/RapidYeastAndMold.