Cottage Cheese Experiment - Essay Example

Cottage Cheese ExperimentIn the experiment, plate counts were used instead of direct microscopic counts or turbidity measurements because of the obvious advantages of the first method. Although plate counts can be tedious and time-consuming, this method is “relatively easy to perform” and it is “much more sensitive than turbidimetric measurement” (Brodhagen, 2007). This means that with plate counts, a relatively more accurate bacterial count can be obtained compared to obtaining turbidity measurements.

The only disadvantages with plate counts, however, include the lengthy incubation period required for the colonies to grow and become visible, and the possibility of crowding of colonies which will most likely require serial dilution (Abedon, 2003). Nevertheless, these disadvantages do not compare to those of direct microscopic counts and turbidity measurements. In direct microscopic counts, the number of living cells cannot be distinguished from the dead cells, which may be included in the count (Brodhagen, 2007).

In the same way, turbidity measurements may not fare well in the bacterial count as clumps of cottage cheese may not be distinguishable from the mass of cells that is expected to block of intercept light (Brodhagen, 2007). These two methods – direct microscopic count and turbidity measurement – are actually less time-consuming than plate counts, but the disadvantages simply outweigh this advantage. The goal of the cottage cheese experiment after all is accuracy and not speed.When it comes to the difference between the control cottage cheese and the experiment cottage cheese, the difference cannot be exactly determined due to insufficiency of data.

Basically we need more information on the consistency or lumpiness of the cheeses, their gross appearance after the experiment and perhaps differences in texture, temperature and other aspects. The most obvious difference is that control cheese has no preservative added but experimental cheese has. It then follows that if this is the only difference between the two, then this is a fair test. Besides, both cheeses have been subjected to the same variables – the same temperature and incubation period lengths, and assuming the same mode of preparation.

ReferencesAbedon, S. T. (2003). Chapter Title: Counting Microbes. Retrieved Oct. 7, 2011 from the Ohio State University at Mansfield: http://mansfield.osu.edu/~sabedon/biol4038.htmBrodhagen, M. (2007). Bacterial Enumeration. Retrieved Oct. 7, 2011 from Western Washington University Biology Department: http://fire.biol.wwu.edu/brodham/biol346_S07/labman_week4.pdf