SOP for digital bacteriological colony counter

This Document describes (Standard Operating procedure) SOP for Cleaning and operation of digital bacteriological colony counter

Table of Contents

SOP for Cleaning and operation of digital bacteriological colony counter

The purpose of this SOP is to lay down the procedure for Cleaning and Operation of Digital Bacteriological Colony .
This Standard operating procedure shall be applicable for Cleaning and Operation of Digital Bacteriological Colony Counter in the Microbiology section of Quality Control Department

All Quality control personnel’s shall be responsible to follow and implement this SOP.

Ensure that, the power supply to the instrument is switched OFF before cleaning.
Clean the instrument with a clean dry cloth every day. Occasionally wet cloth dipped in dilute soap solution may be used for cleaning.
After cleaning precautions has to be taken to wipe the instrument immediately with dry cloth to remove the moisture. Handle the plates properly to avoid area contamination.

Turn “ON” the instrument by pressing ON/OFF Switch. Focus the magnifying lens. Reset the automatic counter by pressing the reset button. The counter should read 0000.
Remove the cap of the probe and touch the marking point of the probe on the Petri dish where a microbial colony is located. Press the probe gently. The counter will register a count, there will be a beep and an ink dot will be marked on the petri dish. Continue, till all the colonies are thus counted.
Count the colonies first from upper most square of the marked area on the counter and each square moving in the right hand direction, again from immediate downright most to left then down left to right.
When colony is not distinctly isolated or merged with another colony or looks as agglomerate or as group consider it as a single colony.
Double count or missing count of the colonies will be avoided as each colony is being marked with ink while counting.
Once the colony counting of all the plates is over, reset the counter to “0000” by pressing reset button, Put “OFF” the instrument by pressing ON / OFF button of the instrument. Switch “OFF” the mains and remove the pin from plug.