CHROMagar™ Enterobacteria, 5000 mL Pack

For Detection and Enumeration of Enterobacteriaceae in Food, Feed, and Environmental Samples

CHROMagar™ Enterobacteria is a selective chromogenic culture medium developed for the isolation, enumeration, and differentiation of Enterobacteriaceae, including Escherichia coli, from food, feed, and environmental matrices. The medium is fully aligned with ISO 21528, which outlines the international standard for Enterobacteriaceae enumeration, and serves as a powerful alternative to VRBG (Violet Red Bile Glucose) agar.

On CHROMagar™ Enterobacteria:

• E. coli colonies appear blue (± blue halo)
• Other Enterobacteriaceae appear pink to red

Its bright color contrast and clear agar background provide easy-to-read results, even in complex food samples, helping laboratories achieve faster, more accurate reporting with reduced workload.

🔹 Key Features & Benefits

• ✅ Differentiates E. coli from Other Enterobacteriaceae:
  Unlike VRBG, CHROMagar™ Enterobacteria enables color-based differentiation, aiding in presumptive species identification.
• ✅ Enhanced Readability:
  Clear agar background and intense colony colors (blue for E. coli, pink/red for others) allow fast, fatigue-free enumeration.
• ✅ High Sensitivity & Specificity:
  • 100% sensitivity
  • 100% specificity*

  Validated in 2018 by Laboratoire de Touraine as an alternative method under ISO 21528.

• ✅ Improved Workflow Efficiency:
  Eliminates the challenges associated with low-contrast VRBG plates and reduces labor for routine testing in food microbiology labs.

🔹 Colony Appearance

🔹 Intended Use

CHROMagar™ Enterobacteria is intended for:

• Qualitative and quantitative detection of Enterobacteriaceae in:
  • Processed and raw foods
  • Animal feed
  • Environmental surfaces and production environments
• Routine microbiological testing under ISO 21528-1 and ISO 21528-2 compliance
• Monitoring of:
  • Hygienic production conditions
  • Shelf-life testing
  • Post-processing contamination

⚠️ Not for clinical diagnostic use. Presumptive identifications should be confirmed using additional microbiological or molecular methods.

🔹 Test Procedure

1. Sample Type: Food (meat, dairy, ready-to-eat), animal feed, surface swabs
2. Inoculation Methods:
   • Spread plating
   • Pour plating
   • Membrane filtration (if applicable)
3. Incubation:
   • Temperature: 35–37 °C
   • Time: 18–24 hours
   • Atmosphere: Aerobic
4. Interpretation:
   • E. coli = Blue colonies
   • Other Enterobacteriaceae = Pink to red colonies
   • Count colonies as per ISO 21528 enumeration protocols

🔹 Ordering Information

🔹 Storage & Shelf Life

• Storage: 2–8 °C, dry, sealed
• Shelf Life: Up to 24 months from manufacture
• Prepared Media: Follow manufacturer's instructions for use period

🔹 Scientific Publications

• Laboratoire de Touraine (2018) – Validation of CHROMagar™ Enterobacteria as an ISO 21528 alternative
• ACTALIA (2018) – Enumeration of Enterobacteriaceae from food samples

CHROMagar™ Enterobacteria delivers a modern, chromogenic solution for enumerating and identifying Enterobacteriaceae, including E. coli, in full compliance with ISO 21528. Its visual clarity, high specificity, and simplified workflow make it an excellent alternative to traditional VRBG agar, ideal for food safety labs, feed testing, and environmental monitoring.