The use of toluidine blue for in situ detection of micro-organisms in foods

Abstract

The use of toluidine blue to stain cryosections of food samples to detect sites of microbial growth was examined. The method successfully detected colonies and single cells of both yeasts and bacteria at magnifications of x 400 or below in the majority of foods studied. The method demonstrates great potential for studying the micro‐environments in which micro‐organisms grow.