AOAC INTERNATIONAL, under contract with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has embarked on an effort to verify/validate technology to augment and/or replace standard plate counts for use in quantitative methodology. These technologies will be evaluated by an expert review panel (ERP). Based on a list of criteria developed by EPA/AOAC, the ERP will provide independent technical assessment and select those technologies that fit the criteria and should be considered for further validation. The ERP will be tasked with preparing the study design by which a comparative validation study could be carried out also using those technologies in modifying current disinfectant methods.

ERP Opportunity

AOAC invites all experts in standard plate count methodology to join our pool of experts, from which ERP members will be selected. Experts will provide independent technical assessment and evaluate technology with the following attributes:

• Ease of use
• More efficient than standard plating techniques in regards to the amount of time spent by the analyst performing the plating as well as the resources required
• Commercially available
• Enumeration medium contains a generic substrate to support the growth of Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella enterica
• Enumeration medium has a quick turn-around time
• Technology for reading results is automated and commercially available--the capacity to enumerate colonies using the test kit can be separate from the recovery system
• Enumeration technology provides the ability to store images of the enumerated medium and its associated data
• If you are interested in participating, please submit CVs to Al Pohland, chief scientific officer, chemistry, at apohland@aoac.org. For more information, contact Bob Rathbone, senior director of publications and method validation, at rrathbone@aoac.org.






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