Kikkoman Biochemifa Company is proud to announce that our poster, “Evaluation of Accuracy and Efficiency for a Novel Automatic Colony Counting System for Ready-to-Use Culture Media, Easy Plate,” received the Best Poster Award at the 19th Dubai International Food Safety Conference, one of the world’s largest and most influential food safety events.
About the Conference
The Dubai International Food Safety Conference is a premier global platform that brings together food regulators, industry professionals, researchers, and students. The conference features scientific sessions, symposia, workshops, poster presentations, and exhibitions focused on advancing food safety and reducing foodborne illness worldwide. The 2025 conference theme, “Technology and Innovation in Food Safety,” emphasized cutting-edge technologies for pathogen detection and prevention, innovative testing and inspection methods, and the use of AI-driven tools—along with open discussions on their current limitations.
Award Winning Research
Poster Title: Evaluation of Accuracy and Efficiency for Novel Automatic Colony Counting System for Ready-to-Use Culture Media, Easy Plate
Presenter: Yusei Tsuda 1
Author: Shinichiro Sugiura 1, Kentaro Takenaka 2
(1) Kikkoman Biochemifa Company, (2) Kikkoman Corporation
Abstract Highlights:
Purpose: To evaluate the speed and accuracy of a novel automated Colony Counting System (CCS) for Easy Plate, utilizing a general-purpose scanner with an auto document feeder and machine-learning–based analysis software.
Method: Ten food samples were tested for aerobic bacteria count (AC) and coliform count (CC) at three contamination levels. Results from the CCS were compared with conventional manual counting in terms of accuracy and measurement time.
Results:
- CCS processing time: 5.0–6.4 seconds per sheet, regardless of contamination level; manual counting time: 13.8–44.5 seconds per sheet, especially at low contamination levels (10–50 CFU/sheet)
- Correlation coefficient between manual and CCS methods: >0.98 for both AC and CC
- Up to 77% time savings with the CCS while maintaining consistent accuracy
Significance: Combining ready-to-use culture media with automated colony counting significantly reduces labor time and testing costs while ensuring reliable microbiological results.
Comment from the Presenter
Yusei Tsuda, Regional Manager at Kikkoman Biochemifa Company, commented: "I would like to forward this honor to thank the authors from our R&D team and our partner HyServe Team. We are all honored and proud to receive such a prestigious award at this renowned food safety event in Dubai, UAE. We will continue sharing this innovative technology solution with “Easy Plate and CCS” to reduce labor time while delivering high efficiency and accuracy, and contribute to the food safety community in regions worldwide."
On-Site Highlight
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Best Poster Award Ceremony
The award was presented at the conference, with Shareef Ahmed (HyServe GmbH) receiving the award on behalf of the team.
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HyServe Team Celebrates Award Win at the Booth
The HyServe team proudly displays their award at the jointly operated Kikkoman Biochemifa × HyServe booth, marking a highlight of the event and celebrating their contribution to advancing hygiene monitoring solutions.
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Colony Counting System
Colony Counting System for Easy Plate (Free Software Download): Automatically counts and analyzes colonies on imaged Easy Plates, reducing operator variability and saving time compared to manual counting.
Feeder for Easy Plate
Feeder for Easy Plate is designed for high-throughput scanning using the Brother ADS-4300N document scanner. Scanned images are seamlessly analyzed with the Colony Counting System for Easy Plate
This award underscores Kikkoman Biochemifa’s commitment to advancing technology-driven, efficient, and reliable food safety testing solutions for laboratories worldwide.
