Membrane Filter Technique

In this test a known volume of water sample is filtered through a membrane with opening less than 0.5 microns. The bacteria present in the sample will be retained upon the filter paper. The filter paper is put in contact of a suitable nutrient medium and kept in an incubator for 24 hours at 35°C. The bacteria will grow upon the nutrient medium and visible colonies are counted. Each colony represents one bacterium of the original sample. The bacterial count is expressed as number of colonies per 100 ml of sample.