Kikkoman Biochemifa Company announced today that it has received the MicroVal certification for its prepared media plate Easy Plate AC for the enumeration of aerobic plate count, Easy Plate EC for the enumeration E. coli and coliforms, Easy Plate CC for the enumeration of coliforms, Easy Plate SA for the enumeration of Staphylococcus aureus.
MicroVal Certification
MicroVal is an international certification institution for microbiological testing methods, comparable to AOAC OMA, AFNOR, and NordVal, that evaluates and certifies the equivalence to ISO methods according to the protocols specified in ISO 16140-2:2016. MicroVal certified test kits are widely used internationally.
The validation was performed by a third-party organization on the following,
| Product Name | Target Bacteria | Reference Method | Validation Range | Certification Number | Certification PDF file |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easy Plate AC | Total aerobic count | ISO4833-1:2013: (The method for the enumeration of microorganisms) | A broad range of foods, pet food, animal feed and environmental samples | 2021LR102 |  |
| Easy Plate CC | Coliforms | ISO 4832:2006: (The method for the enumeration of coliforms) | A broad range of food | 2021LR104 | |
| Easy Plate EC | E. coli and coliforms |
ISO 16649-2:2001: (The method for the enumeration of E. coli) ISO 4832:2006: (The method for the enumeration of coliforms) |
A broad range of food, pet food, and environmental samples. | 2021LR103 | |
| Easy Plate SA | Staphylococcus aureus | ISO 688-1:2021 (The method for the enumeration of Staphylococcus aureus) | A broad range of food | 2021LR105 | |
URL
The detailed validation report and certificate are available at the following page.
Four Certificates for Kikkoman’s Easy Plate | Microval 
Issued certificates | Microval
ISO 16140-2:2016: International standard that provides a method for validation of alternative methods.
ISO4833-1:2013: The method for the enumeration of microorganisms
ISO 16649-2:2001: The method for the enumeration of E. coli
ISO 4832:2006: The method for the enumeration of coliforms
ISO 6888-1:2021: The method for the enumeration of Staphylococcus aureus
Kikkoman Biochemifa Company is working to obtain MicroVal certification for Easy Plate YM-R.
Product lineup
| Product Name | Target bacteria | AOAC PTM certification | MicroVal certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy Plate AC | Total aerobic count | Certified | Certified |
| Easy Plate CC | Coliforms | Certified | Certified |
| Easy Plate EC | E. coli and coliforms | Certified | Certified |
| Easy Plate SA | Staphylococcus aureus | Certified | Certified |
| Easy Plate YM-R | Yeast and Mold | Under validation | Under validation |