Colorex ECC

Focus on E.coli and Coliforms

Different regulations exist for E.coli/Coliform research in water and food samples. This can be explained by the importance of these germs in determining water and food safety.

Worldwide, water and food quality control for human consumption are based on detecting the presence/absence of E.coli and coliforms.

Coliforms, Enterobacteriacae able to ferment lactose (lactose positive Enterobacteriacae), are bacteria present in human and warm blooded animals intestinal flora, in the soil and water. Coliforms are proof of organic, environmental or faecal contamination. Faecal contamination, due to colifoms coming from animal waste, consists mainly of Escherichia coli and thermotolerant Klebsiella.

Medium Performance

1. Colorex ECC allows simultaneous detection and differentiation between E.coli and coliforms in one medium! This is helpful to determine if there is organic contamination (coliforms) or faecal contamination (E.coli). The use of this technique involves less work in comparison with traditional methods (MI Agar). 

2. Easy to read thanks to the high colour contrast between colonies. There is no mixing of both colours (unlike some other chromogenic media on the market). Colonies are either red or blue (no metallic blue nor purple). 

3. The media can be used as a poured plate, for isolation and as a support for membrane filtration techniques.