Plate count agar

<p>Plate count agar (PCA), also called standard methods agar (SMA), is a microbiological <a href="/facts/Growth_medium/97IMkpFP">growth medium</a> commonly used to assess or to monitor "total" or viable bacterial growth of a sample. PCA is not a selective medium.
</p><p>The total number of living <a href="/facts/Aerobic_bacteria/a629EQD7">aerobic bacteria</a> can be determined using a plate count agar which is a substrate for bacteria to grow on. The medium contains <a href="/facts/Casein/Udl5k8sx">casein</a> which provides <a href="/facts/Nitrogen/Nf1QpGDz">nitrogen</a>, <a href="/facts/Carbon/ukrgQexo">carbon</a>, <a href="/facts/Amino_acid/WDxYwBny">amino acids</a>, vitamins and minerals to aid in the growth of the organism. <a href="/facts/Yeast_extract/q0ILhM2r">Yeast extract</a> is the source for vitamins, particularly of B-group. Glucose is the fermentable carbohydrate and agar is the solidifying agent. This is a non-selective medium and the bacteria is counted as colony forming units per gram (CFU/g) in solid samples and (CFU/ml) in liquid samples.
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Plate count agar open-in-new

Plate count agar