Method and composition for detecting bacterial contamination in food products

摘要

This invention relates to a method for detecting the existence or measuring the concentration of total viable bacteria in a test sample from a food product. A medium is provided which contains three or more different enzyme substrates each having a nutrient moiety and a detectable moiety linked together. When a substrate is hydrolyzed by a bacterial enzyme to create a separate detectable moiety, it causes or produces a detectable signal. These substrates produce detectable signals when any one of a phosphatase enzyme, a glycosidase enzyme or a peptidase enzyme is present in the medium.