Evaluation of the MC-media PADTM yeast and mold device for the enumeration of yeast and mold: Collaborative study, first Action 2018.02

Abstract

Background: the mc-media Pad™ Yeast and mold (Ym) is a ready-to use culture device that combines a test pad coated with medium and water-absorption polymers that is designed for the rapid quantification of yeast and mold in food products. Objective: the mc-media Pad Ym was compared with the U.s. Food and drug administration (Fda) Bacteriological Analytical Manual (Bam) for the enumeration of yeast and mold in frozen orange juice concentrate. Methods: the candidate method was evaluated using a paired study design in a multilaboratory collaborative study following the current aoac Validation guidelines. three target contamination levels (low, 10–100 cFU/g; medium, 100–1000 cFU/g; and high 1000–10 000 cFU/g) and an uninoculated control level (0 cFU/g) were evaluated. mc-media Pad Ym devices were enumerated after 48 and 72 h of incubation. Results: Plate count obtained by both methods were log-transformed and the difference of means (including 95% confidence intervals), repeatability sd, and sd were determined for each contamination level. Conclusions: no statistical difference was observed between the mc-media Pad Ym (for both 48 and 72 h) and the Fda Bam for each contamination level. Highlights: the new method offers a convenient alternative to the reference method (Fda Bam) for detection of yeast and mold contamination in food products, yielding reliable and comparable results in 48 h compared to 5 days for the reference method.