Spore rec-assay by dry sheet medium culture plate for bacterial counts

Abstract

A simple and rapid method for spore rec-assay by utilizing dry sheet medium culture (Compactdry TC, CTC) for determining numbers of bacteria, instead of the spore agar plate, was developed. One mL of spore suspension (2 x 10(6)/mL) of Bacillus subtilis strain M45 Rec- or H17 Rec+ was inoculated in the center of the CTC plate. In the case of metabolic activation, 1 mL of mixed solution (spore suspension of M45 or H17: 9,000 x g supernatant of rat-liver homogenate treated with Aroclor 1254 = 19:1) was used. The spore suspension spreads over the whole sheet in seconds and gels. A paper disk impregnated with 20-40 microL of the sample solution and 20 microL of the cofactor solution was placed on the surface of CTC plate. For the assay of samples that do not require metabolic activation, use of the cofactor solution can be omitted. After 48 hr incubation at 37 degrees C, 0.01% MTT [3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide] aqueous solution (0.5 mL) was dropped uniformly on the plate. The plate was left for 5 min, and the diameter of the inhibition circle was measured with slide calipers. The samples for which the difference in inhibition zone between M45 and H17 was more than 2 mm were judged positive. Under these conditions, the DNA damaging activities of sodium sulfite, sodium benzoate and citric acid, used as food additives, were investigated by the proposed method. Sodium sulfite and sodium benzoate gave positive results and citric acid gave a negative result with or without metabolic activation, in agreement with the results obtained by the conventional method.