Evaluation of Easy Plate EB for Enterobacteriaceae enumeration using ISO 16140-2, and AOAC certification standards

Introduction:

Enterobacteriaceae are important hygiene indicators in food and food processing environments. Easy Plate EB (E-EB) is a ready-to-use dry medium that enables Enterobacteriaceae enumeration within 24 hours and supports automated colony counting using CCS.

Purpose:

This study evaluated the performance of Easy Plate EB for Enterobacteriaceae enumeration according to ISO 16140-2 and AOAC validation standards. The suitability of automated colony counting with CCS was also assessed.

Method:

E-EB was compared with the ISO 21528-2:2017 reference method using 105 food and environmental samples. Inclusivity, exclusivity, relative trueness, and automated colony counting performance were evaluated.

Results:

E-EB demonstrated selectivity comparable to conventional VRBG agar and showed good agreement with the ISO reference method (R² = 0.964). Automated counting with CCS also correlated strongly with manual counting (R² = 0.996), confirming accurate colony enumeration.

Significance:

Easy Plate EB provides reliable Enterobacteriaceae enumeration with a simple and efficient workflow. When combined with CCS, it can reduce manual workload, improve laboratory productivity, and support standardized testing procedures.