Automatic Colony Counter

Description

Effective
The sample chamber with an attractive design, needs only small footprint. Software will be delivered preinstalled on PC/Laptop, standard demo settings are stored, this allows immediate operation.

Time-saving
Significantly increases efficiency compared to manual evaluation of the colonies.00 Petri dishes per hour, independent of 10 or 1,000 colonies growing on the sample. No counting errors as they occur with declining concentration when counting manually.

Universal
Automatic Colony was designed for Quality Control in food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries, in microbiological test labs.
The colony Quant system is ideal for evaluation of Ames tests and water samples. he system may be set and calibrated to different types of colonies and agars/nutrient disks within minutes. The reasoned software in German and English language helps analyzing and differentiating colonies by color, size and shape. The settings may be changed at any time according to the users request and the system shows the effects on the counting result immediately. The original image, the evaluated image as well as the set parameters may be stored and re-opened at any time by using the file name.
The Windows based structure of the software/icons makes it easy for the operator to comprehend the system’s functions. The device centers Petri dishes Ø 60 to Ø 90 mm exactly and reproducible. The camera automatically zooms to ensure that also Ø 60mm Petri dishes are evaluated with high resolution.

1. Schuett colonyQuant automated colony counter system
2. Software for selection according to colour, size and shape
3. Light-proof sample chamber with high-definition camera (colour), Live-image and circular LED-illumination
4. Image acquisition and simultaneous evaluation within seconds
5. Tables and images may be stored digitally, results for each counted colony reviewable
6. Agar plates, nutrient disks, filters, plaque assays, inhibition zone analysis, spiral plating, drop plates, „lanes“, fluorescence
7. Mixed cultures, separates up to 8 colors simultaneously
8. Sectorial evaluation, 90% option
9. In conformity with GLP, LIMS-compatible

Automatic colony Quant is the economic solution for evaluating Petri dishes at high demand on daily sample throughput rates. Image acquisition and analyzing the colonies at the push of a button. Changeover from
evaluating agar plates to nutrient filter disks etc. can be effected quickly by mouse-click without difficulties.

Facilitates Quality Control State-of-the-art LED-lighting technology assures a lateral illumination of the Petri dish and results in so far unknown transparency
and differentiation of the colonies on the agar. Filters are illuminated from above for maximum contrast and color differentiation. The grid on filter disks may be removed easily in the colony Quant-software and
will not adulterate the result. Spiral plating dishes are counted automatically in consideration of the counting grid. Inhibition zones are analyzed clockwise.

Data storage (documentation) The original image and the evaluated image are stored digitally, all relevant data of the analysis are automatically stored for later re-evaluation.
An analysis report may be printed, the user may decide which individual parameters are of need. Elimination of transcription errors. All results are presented in a table, exportable to Excel- or CVS format.
All data may be exported to a LIM-system.

Efficient
The counting settings are to be adjusted only once for each type of colony. The area to be counted is defined prior to analysis. If the rim of the Petri dish is difficult to evaluate, the software counts 90% of the Petri dish and extrapolates the total number of colonies.
The software also allows for counting individual quarters of the total area. Further, the „lasso“-function allows counting of certain defined areas of the Petri dish. After entering the volume and dilution, the colonies per ml are calculated automatically.

Counting different colonies simultaneously

The counting result may be corrected manually at any time by using the “Add”/”Delete”-function.

Helpful features Measurements:
Distances and areas may be measured and are shown in a separate list.

Inscriptions:
Make your own notes in free text fields and save them in the image.

Criteria for differentiation (may be combined as needed). Color:
The differentiation of coloured colonies (e.g. flavine containing or coloring by chromogenic, selective agar) compared to colourless colonies may be
obtained by defining the actual intensity-spectrum of the corresponding colour. In total there is a maximum of eight different colour gradients to be set.
This means blue and red colonies may be counted simultaneously on one Petri dish and the result will show the total of blue colonies or the total of red colonies and total count of both.

Size:
The differentiation of colonies with different sizes is also possible, e.g. large colonies may be differentiated from the background growth. The minimum colony size for counting is 0.05 mm.

Shape: By differentiating colonies according to their shape it is possible to define the roundness of the colonies to be counted.
This is helpful for analysing bacterial colonies on agar plates in the presence of molds or precipitates of the same colour.

Copes with all challenges

Overlapping
The split function allows for gradually separating overlapping colonies. This is particularly advantageous with Petri dishes having a large number of colonies or with bigger colonies.

In conformity with GLP; All sensitive areas are password protected. The software is structured in three levels: l administrator, l controller, l operator

The administrator may decide which counting parameters are to be addressed by the operator. Name of the operator, batch and sample number are automatically stored with the result of the analysis.
Provision for system check with a coloured disk (provided with the system) and reset function to recall manufacturer provided standard settings.

Data and facts

Typical Applications

• Total number of colonies: All colonies will be counted, even if they differ in colour, size and shape.
• Enterobacteria: E. coli colonies are of a light cream colour and not much different from the transparent slightly
  yellow colour of the LB-agar itself, but can easily be counted with the lateral LED-illumination.
• Filters on agar or nutrient disks: Colonies growing on filter disks are perfectly illuminated from above. The grid
  being shown on the surface of the filter will be ignored by the software and does not affect the counting result.
  Clear colonies become visible by illumination from the side at the middle level of the sample chamber.
• High number of colonies: Up to approx. 1,000 colonies per Petri dish will be count within seconds.
• Bacteriophage plaque assays: By using the dark field it is feasible to count plaques against a cell background.
• Agar: Cloudy/clear, all colours, plates with sloped agar (uneven thickness).
• Fluorescence: Evaluation of fluorescent colonies illuminated with UV light, e.g. for MPN tests in microwell plates.