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Measuring Growth by Membrane Filtration definitions

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  • Membrane Filtration
    A technique using a filter with tiny pores to trap cells from a liquid, enabling counting of living microbes in low-density cultures.
  • Viable Cells
    Living microorganisms capable of forming colonies after being trapped and incubated on a growth medium.
  • Liquid Culture
    A nutrient-rich solution used to grow and maintain microorganisms in a suspended state.
  • Membrane Filter
    A sheet with extremely small pores that captures cells while allowing liquid to pass through during filtration.
  • Pore Size
    The diameter of openings in a filter, small enough to retain microbial cells but let fluids pass.
  • Agar Plate
    A petri dish containing solidified growth medium used to support and visualize microbial colony formation.
  • Incubation
    A period during which trapped cells on a membrane are kept under conditions that promote colony development.
  • Colony
    A visible cluster of microorganisms arising from a single viable cell after incubation on solid media.
  • Colony Forming Unit
    A measure representing one viable microorganism capable of giving rise to a visible colony.
  • Growth Media
    A nutrient-rich substance that supports the proliferation of microorganisms during incubation.
  • Petri Dish
    A shallow, circular container used to hold solid media for culturing and observing microbial growth.
  • Quantification
    The process of determining the number of viable microorganisms present in a sample by counting colonies.
  • Vacuum Filtration
    A method using suction to draw liquid through a membrane, leaving cells trapped on the filter surface.
  • Microbial Growth
    The increase in number of microorganisms, often visualized as colonies after incubation on solid media.