Easy Plate EB Enterobacteriaceae test plate | Kikkoman

1. Introduction to the Easy Plate medium plate

- Easy Plate is a convenient ready-prepared medium plate that needs no preparation or sterilisation. Easy Plate is an easy-to-use alternative to preparing media in-house with traditional medium plates, saving time and effort and reducing waste.

- Easy Plate EB is a ready-to-use dry medium plate from Kikkoman Biochemifa (Japan), designed specifically to test and quantify Enterobacteriaceae (the family of enteric bacteria) in food, drinking water and pharmaceutical samples.

- Easy Plate has a volume of about 1/20 that of a traditional petri dish, saving space and allowing more tests to be run in the same incubator. Easy Plate is supplied ready to use: as soon as the pouch is opened, the sample suspension can be pipetted onto the medium and incubation can start.

- Easy Plate EB is a medium formulation designed specifically to culture Enterobacteriaceae bacteria. This microbiological test kit contains Violet Red Bile Glucose (VRBG) medium and a cold-water-soluble gelling agent that makes colony counting easy. Colonies can be identified easily within 24±1 hours. Easy Plate EB is sold in packs of 100 tests, divided into 4 separate bags of 25 tests each. The shelf life is 18 months when stored unopened at 2-8℃.

- The plate is designed as a dry medium sheet that is settled and ready to use immediately, with no need to prepare medium or sterilise.

2. Specifications of the Easy Plate EB for Enterobacteriaceae testing

- Product name: Easy Plate EB medium plate

- Product code: 61978

- Application: testing of Enterobacteriaceae

- Incubation time: 24 ± 1 hours

- Incubation temperature: 35 ± 1℃ or 37 ± 1℃

- Storage conditions (unopened): 2 - 8℃

- After opening: after opening the bag, fold the opened end at least twice and seal it with tape. Store in a refrigerator (2 to 8℃) and use within 3 months.

- Shelf life 18 months from the date of manufacture

3. Principle

- When the test sample is pipetted onto the plate surface, the Enterobacteriaceae bacteria grow on the specific selective medium.

- During incubation, the target bacteria form characteristic colonies, usually with colours that are easy to recognise thanks to the biochemical indicator and specific enzyme reaction contained in the medium. The analyst only has to count the colonies directly on the plate to determine the bacterial density in the sample.

- Colonies have vivid colours that are easy to distinguish after 24 hours.

- High correlation with VRBG agar has been confirmed for many types of food.

- The gel medium contains the pH indicator neutral red (red colonies) and crystal violet, which turns the EB colonies red.

4. Notable benefits of the Easy Plate EB plate

Compared with the traditional pour-plate method, Easy Plate EB offers many outstanding benefits:

- Convenient and ready to use: no need to prepare medium and no need to sterilise or cool, saving time and effort.

- Easy to use: simply pipette 1 ml of test sample onto the plate surface, then incubate under suitable temperature conditions.

- Clear, easy-to-read results: Enterobacteriaceae colonies have a characteristic colour, limiting confusion with other microorganisms.

- High reliability: the product has been validated according to international standards (AOAC, ISO, etc.), ensuring accuracy and reproducibility.

- Space-saving: compact size, easy to store at room temperature and it does not take up much space in a refrigerator or incubator.

- Safe and environmentally friendly: reduces plastic waste compared with traditional culture methods.

5. Applications

Easy Plate EB is widely used in microbiological testing fields:

- Food: meat, fish, milk, dairy products, fruit and vegetables, packaged products…

- Drinking water and beverages: purified water, mineral water, bottled water, sugary drinks.

- Cosmetics and pharmaceuticals: testing product quality and compliance with microbiological safety standards.

- Quality control in production: helping businesses ensure food safety and comply with legal regulations on microorganisms.

6. Examples

- Microorganisms

- Food sample matrices on the Easy Plate EB Enterobacteriaceae

PacificLAB is the official distributor of Kikkoman Easy Plate products in Vietnam. Please contact us for a quotation and detailed information about this product.