IAFP's European symposium

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IAFP'S EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON FOOD SAFETY 2023

Shaping the future of food safety since 2005, bringing together hundreds of food safety professionals from across Europe and around the workd to exchange ideas and gain knowledge about the latest in developments and techniques in food science and safety. The 2023 Symposium includes a vast array of diverse topics and speakers for those working in industry, government and academia. 

Poster Session

Performance Evaluation of Ready-to-Use Culture Media, Easy Plate AC for Enumeration of Aerobic Plate Count in a Broad Range of Foods, Environmental Samples and Pet Foods

Abstract
Introduction: The Ready-to-use (RTU) media Easy Plate AC (Kikkoman Biochemifa Company) provides many benefits including reduced time-to- result, simplicity of us,e and is more sustainable compared to conventional plate count agar. The speed of analysis of the device gives a saving of 24 h over the reference method with results available in 48 h.

Purpose: To evaluate the performance of the RTU device for the enumeration of aerobic count as detailed in the ISO 16140-2 validation protocol.

Methods: The repeatability, accuracy and relative trueness of the RTU device was evaluated during the study across 5 food categories; dairy products, fishery products, produce and fruits, meat and poultry, and multicomponent foods in addition to environmental samples and pet foods. Analysis of the samples was performed according to the manufacturer’s instructions and ISO 4833-1 (2013).

Results: Study results revealed good agreement between the RTU device and the reference method in the 105 samples analyzed in the relative trueness study. During the accuracy profile it was demonstrated that all seven categories passed the 0.5 log acceptability limits or the recalculated limits. Additional studies showed that the RTU device prevented the spread of members of the Bacillus spp. seen on Plate Count Agar.

Significance: Data indicates that the RTU device provides equivalent results to the ISO reference method 4833-1 (2013) for a broad range of foods, environmental samples and pet foods. In addition to the reduced time-to-result compared to PCA, the media allows better colony counting with samples containing Bacillus spp.

Performance Evaluation of Ready-to-Use Culture Media, Easy Plate SA for Enumeration of Staphylococcus aureus in a Broad Range of Foods

Abstract

Introduction: Ready to use (RTU) media offers many advantages to the end user including shorter time-to-result and ease of use as well as being more sustainable. Easy Plate SA (Kikkoman Biochemifa Company) reduces the time of enumeration of Staphylococcus aureus to 24 h, a savings of 24 h compared to the standard ISO 6888-1 protocol.

Purpose: To compare the performance of the RTU device and ISO method 6888-1(2021) for the enumeration of S. aureus in a broad range of foods following the ISO 16140-2 validation protocol.

Methods: This study evaluated the specificity, selectivity, repeatability, accuracy and relative trueness of the RTU device as required by ISO 16140-2. During the study, 225 food samples were analyzed across five food categories: dairy products, fishery products, produce and fruits, meat and poultry and multicomponent foods. All samples were tested according to the manufacturer’s instructions and ISO 6888-1.

Results: Results from the study revealed the RTU device gave comparable results to the reference method across the 75 analyzed in the relative trueness with no evidence of bias between the methods. In the accuracy profile study, all five categories tested satisfied the 0.5 log acceptability limit or the recalculated acceptability limits. Data also indicated that the RTU device was selective and specific, inhibiting the growth of nine non-target organisms that grew on the reference agar.

Significance: The RTU device gives equivalent results to the ISO reference method 6888-1(2021) for a broad range of foods. This RTU device is a rapid convenient alternative for the enumeration of S. aureus enabling results in 24h.

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Outline

Product Easy Plate
Event date 2023.05.03

Seminar Detail

Venue Aberdeen, Scotland
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Related seminars

Easy Plate Webinar: Speed and Accuracy for Food Safety
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Speed and Accuracy for Food Safety： Boost Lab Performance with Ready-to-Use Media and Automated Colony Analysis

In today's food safety laboratories, efficiency and accuracy are critical, not only to meet regulatory standards but also to prevent costly foodborne illness outbreaks. This webinar introduces practical solutions to reduce media preparation time, minimize human error, and accelerate colony counting in microbiological testing. Whether you work in a food manufacturing QA/QC lab, a third-party testing lab, or a government inspection agency, this session will provide concrete strategies to streamline microbial testing without compromising reliability.

Registration Page

Introduction Summary

Contamination from bacteria, yeasts, and molds remains a leading cause of food product recalls and public health issues. Yet, many labs continue to use outdated or manual testing methods that are slow, labor-intensive, and prone to inconsistency.

This webinar introduces two key innovations:

  • Easy Plate: A compact, pre-prepared media plate that eliminates the need for media prep and reduces incubation time
  • Automated Colony Counters: AI-driven tools that enable accurate, consistent, and user-independent colony counting

Combined, these tools increase throughput, reduce workload, and help laboratories meet today’s demanding testing schedules with greater efficiency.

Key Topics

The Risk of Microbial Contamination 

Microorganisms in the production environment pose ongoing threats to consumer safety and brand reputation. Traditional agar plates require extensive prep work-media pouring, sterilization, incubation, and post-use autoclaving - which consume valuable time, space, and energy. 

Easy Plate for Simplified Testing

  • No media preparation or sterilization needed 
  • Incubation completed in just 24-48 hours (depending on sample type)
  • Uses 1/20th the volume of a traditional petri dish 
  • Minimal storage and waste; compact space is required to store and dispose of items of using the autoclave.

Environmentally Friendly Packaging 

Easy Plate is now packaged in a transparent barrier film instead of traditional aluminum bags. The switch reduces CO2 emissions and power consumption, supporting sustainability goals. 

Challenges in Reading Results- Solved with Automation

Colony appearance varies by media type, making interpretation difficult for non-experts. Automated colony counters, powered by AI, standardize and accelerate analysis, eliminating user bias and reducing interpretation time.

Easy Plate Webinar-Masa Depan Pengujian Mikrobiologi : Integrasi Promedia, Easy Plante dan Sistem Penghitung Koloni Otomatis Kikkoman
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Event Description 

This webinar will explore how the combination of Promedia, Easy Plate, and the Kikkoman Automatic Colony Counter System is revolutionizing microbiological testing. We will discuss the improvements in efficiency, accuracy, and automation offered by this integrated solution, from sample preparation to result interpretation, shaping the future of microbiology laboratories.

Easy Plate 

Save time, labor, and money with Kikkoman Easy Plate. Easy Plate is a convenient, prepared media plates for faster and easier microbiological testing. Using a time-tested and AOAC, MicroVal and NordVal validated culture media methodology, Easy Plate comes in an easy-to-use, stackable film plate format that saves on space, reduces waste, eliminates preparation time and labor, and streamlines your test procedures. Each Easy Plate is specialized for a specific target organism (or group) and includes options for Aerobic Bacteria (AC), Coliforms (CC), E. coli/Coliforms (EC), Staphylococcus aureus (SA), Yeast and Mold(YM-R) and Enterobacteriaceae(EB) and Rapid Type for Aerobic Bacteria (AC-R).

Colony Counting System 

The new solution by Kikkoman Biochemifa Company for colony counting is available. The software “Colony Counting System for Easy Plate” can be downloaded for free. Automatically counts and analyzes the colonies in the imaged Easy Plate. Simpler and time-saving way to count colonies than manual counting advances efficiency and eliminates the effects of variation and skill level among operators.

Speaker 

Mr. Anjas Wilapangga: Senior Analyst PT Kinglab Indonesia 

IAFP European Symposium 2025 – Technical Session 9
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IAFP European Symposium 2025 – Technical Session 9

T9: Evaluation of Easy Plate YM-R™ for Enumerating Yeasts and Molds in Both High and Low Water Activity Foods

Introduction

Kikkoman Biochemifa Company will be presenting new validation data for Easy Plate YM-R™, a ready-to-use (RTU) culture medium developed for the rapid enumeration of yeasts and molds. The product enables results in 48 to 72 hours and is suitable for both high and low water activity foods. This presentation will take place as part of Technical Session 9 (T9) at the IAFP European Symposium 2025.

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of Easy Plate YM-R™ in alignment with AOAC Performance Tested Methods℠, MicroVal, and NordVal certification requirements, with particular focus on applied statistical methods for method validation.

Study Overview

Methodology:

Easy Plate YM-R™ was compared against ISO 21527-1/2 (2008) and BAM Chapter 18 (2001). Validation was conducted across diverse product categories including:

  • Dairy
  • Fruits and produce
  • Multicomponent foods
  • Bakery items
  • Meat and poultry
  • Dried foods
  • Confectionery
  • Pet foods
  • Environmental swabs

Parameters assessed include:

  • Relative trueness: 135 items using Bland-Altman plots
  • Repeatability and accuracy: β-ETIs and confidence intervals (19 items)
  • Selectivity: 50 inclusivity strains, 30 exclusivity strains Robustness, consistency, and stability: via ANOVA

Key Findings

  • At 48 hours, Easy Plate YM-R™ demonstrated agreement with reference methods in three categories: produce, multicomponent foods, and environmental samples
  • At 72 hours, consistent agreement was achieved across all tested food types, within ±0.5 log or recalculated acceptance limits
  • Selectivity surpassed reference methods, with the medium supporting growth of all tested xerophilic and non-xerophilic inclusivity strains, and inhibiting all exclusivity strains
  • Robustness testing indicated the importance of maintaining correct incubation temperature
  • Consistency and long-term product stability were also confirmed

Conclusion

Easy Plate YM-R™ is a robust and time-saving alternative to traditional yeast and mold testing methods. It offers a simplified workflow, wide applicability across food matrices, and strong statistical validation. The method is especially valuable for manufacturers managing both high and low water activity products.

Presenters

  • Shinichiro Sugiura – Primary Author and Presenter, Kikkoman Biochemifa Company
  • Daiki Utsunomiya – Kikkoman Biochemifa Company
  • Alice Foxall – Campden BRI
  • Suzanne Jordan – Campden BRI

We welcome IAFP EU 2025 attendees to join Technical Session 9 (T9) to learn more about the validation and application of Easy Plate YM-R™ in microbiological testing. For additional information or to request a meeting during the event, please contact us through our [inquiry form] or speak with your local representative.

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