RapidREF 22061977
Organism · Solutions
Yeast and Mould testing
Yeasts and moulds are the organisms that end a shelf-life claim. They rarely make anyone ill, but they are the most common reason a product is rejected by a customer before its date has passed.
Filamentous and smooth colonies · DRBC agarWhy Yeast and Mould testing is demanding
Yeasts and moulds are spoilage organisms rather than pathogens for most purposes, which changes how they are managed: the risk is commercial rather than regulatory, and it materialises after product has shipped, when a customer opens a package before its stated date.
They are also slow. Incubation typically runs five to seven days, far beyond the release window for most products, which means yeast and mould results usually validate a shelf-life claim retrospectively rather than gating a release. Getting the trend right therefore matters more than getting any single result quickly.
Low-water-activity and acidic products — dried goods, fruit preparations, juices, some dairy — are the highest-risk matrices, because those conditions suppress bacteria while leaving fungi comparatively unaffected. Selective media that suppress bacterial overgrowth are what make the count readable at all in those matrices.
- Role
- Spoilage indicator
- Result type
- Enumeration
- Reference method
- ISO 21527-1
- Result
- 5–7 days
Methods compared
Slow by nature — the choice is about readability and bacterial suppression, not speed.
- Traditional · ISO 21527-1Selective enumeration
Colony-count technique on dichloran rose bengal chloramphenicol agar, which suppresses bacterial growth and restricts mould spreading so colonies stay countable.
Time to result5–7 days - RapidReady-to-use plates
Ready-poured selective formats that remove preparation and give a more consistent surface for reading filamentous colonies across a long incubation.
Time to result5 days - MolecularSpecific spoilage organisms
PCR-based detection where a named spoilage yeast is the concern and its level is below what plate counts resolve in time to act.
Time to resultSame day
Water activity determines the method — ISO 21527-1 above 0.95 aw, 21527-2 below.
Ask usProducts for Yeast and Mould testing
A selection spanning culture media, rapid formats and molecular assays. The full range is in the catalogue.
TraditionalREF 0392C
TraditionalREF 0392L
TraditionalREF 0392X
TraditionalREF 0392K
Microbiologics
Aspergillus brasiliensis derived from atcc® 16404™ (pack of 6)
Yeast and MouldOthers
TraditionalREF 0392A
Microbiologics
Aspergillus brasiliensis derived from atcc® 16404™ ez-accu shot
Yeast and MouldOthers
TraditionalREF 0392P
Microbiologics
Aspergillus brasiliensis derived from atcc® ™16404 kwik-stik (2pcs)
Yeast and MouldOthers
TraditionalREF 0245K
Standards & compliance
The references a yeast and mould programme is measured against.
- ISO 21527-1
- Enumeration of yeasts and moulds in products with water activity greater than 0.95.
- ISO 21527-2
- Enumeration of yeasts and moulds in products with water activity less than or equal to 0.95 — dried and low-moisture goods.
- SFDA
- Supplied through an SFDA-licensed establishment, aligned to Kingdom requirements for the matrices you test.
- ISO/IEC 17025
- Suitable for accredited laboratories, with lot documentation and traceability available on request.
Sourced from the brands your methods are built on.
Testing for Yeast and Mould?
Tell us your matrix and how fast you need a release decision — we'll recommend the method and respond with pricing, availability and lead time.