Viable Plate Count… or how to count to a million

Learning Outcomes

When you have completed this module, you should be able to:

• Define dilution and dilution factor
• Explain why dilutions are necessary for microbial counts
• Prepare dilutions and calculate total dilution of serial dilutions
• Set up an appropriate dilution scheme to result in a countable plate
• Evaluate and interpret the results of plate counts, including selecting the appropriate plate for counting and scaling up from the diluted sample to the original population