3M™ Petrifilm™ Coliform Count (CC) Plates contain Violet Red Bile (VRB) nutrients, a cold-water-soluble gelling agent, and a tetrazolium indicator that facilitates colony enumeration. The top film traps gas produced by the lactose fermenting coliforms.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Bacteriological Analytical Manual (FDA-BAM) define coliforms as Gram-negative rods which produce acid and gas from lactose during metabolic fermentation. Coliform colonies growing on the 3M Petrifilm CC Plate produce acid which causes the pH indicator to deepen the gel color. Gas trapped around red coliform colonies indicates confirmed coliforms.
