Rapid and retrievable recording of big data of time-lapse 3D shadow images of microbial colonies

Abstract

We formerly developed an automatic colony count system based on the time-lapse shadow image analysis (TSIA). Here this system has been upgraded and applied to practical rapid decision. A microbial sample was spread on/in an agar plate with 90 mm in diameter as homogeneously as possible. We could obtain the results with several strains that most of colonies appeared within a limited time span. Consequently the number of colonies reached a steady level (N stdy) and then unchanged until the end of long culture time to give the confirmed value (N conf). The equivalence of N stdy and N conf as well as the difference of times for N stdy and N conf determinations were statistically significant at p < 0.001. N stdy meets the requirement of practical routines treating a large number of plates. The difference of N stdy and N conf, if any, may be elucidated by means of retrievable big data. Therefore N conf is valid for official documentation.