Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 959-966 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Engineering in life sciences |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| Publication status | Published - 19 Jul 2017 |
Abstract
The manual counting of colonies on agar plates to estimate the number of viable organisms (so-called colony-forming units–CFUs) in a defined sample is a commonly used method in microbiological laboratories. The automation of this arduous and time-consuming process through benchtop devices with integrated image processing capability addresses the need for faster and higher sample throughput and more accuracy. While benchtop colony counter solutions are often bulky and expensive, we investigated a cost-effective way to automate the colony counting process with smart devices using their inbuilt camera features and a server-based image processing algorithm. The performance of the developed solution is compared to a commercially available smartphone colony counter app and the manual counts of two scientists trained in biological experiments. The comparisons show a high accuracy of the presented system and demonstrate the potential of smart devices to displace well-established laboratory equipment.
Keywords
- Colony counter, Digital image processing, Laboratory automation, Scientific app, Smart devices
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
- Biotechnology
- Environmental Science(all)
- Environmental Engineering
- Chemical Engineering(all)
- Bioengineering
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In: Engineering in life sciences, Vol. 17, No. 8, 19.07.2017, p. 959-966.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - A smart device application for the automated determination of E. coli colonies on agar plates
AU - Austerjost, Jonas
AU - Marquard, Daniel
AU - Raddatz, Lukas
AU - Geier, Dominik
AU - Becker, Thomas
AU - Scheper, Thomas
AU - Lindner, Patrick
AU - Beutel, Sascha
N1 - Funding information: This work was financially supported by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Media, Energy and Technology within the Information and Communications Technology program (Grant number: IUK-1504-0006//IUK470/001).
PY - 2017/7/19
Y1 - 2017/7/19
N2 - The manual counting of colonies on agar plates to estimate the number of viable organisms (so-called colony-forming units–CFUs) in a defined sample is a commonly used method in microbiological laboratories. The automation of this arduous and time-consuming process through benchtop devices with integrated image processing capability addresses the need for faster and higher sample throughput and more accuracy. While benchtop colony counter solutions are often bulky and expensive, we investigated a cost-effective way to automate the colony counting process with smart devices using their inbuilt camera features and a server-based image processing algorithm. The performance of the developed solution is compared to a commercially available smartphone colony counter app and the manual counts of two scientists trained in biological experiments. The comparisons show a high accuracy of the presented system and demonstrate the potential of smart devices to displace well-established laboratory equipment.
AB - The manual counting of colonies on agar plates to estimate the number of viable organisms (so-called colony-forming units–CFUs) in a defined sample is a commonly used method in microbiological laboratories. The automation of this arduous and time-consuming process through benchtop devices with integrated image processing capability addresses the need for faster and higher sample throughput and more accuracy. While benchtop colony counter solutions are often bulky and expensive, we investigated a cost-effective way to automate the colony counting process with smart devices using their inbuilt camera features and a server-based image processing algorithm. The performance of the developed solution is compared to a commercially available smartphone colony counter app and the manual counts of two scientists trained in biological experiments. The comparisons show a high accuracy of the presented system and demonstrate the potential of smart devices to displace well-established laboratory equipment.
KW - Colony counter
KW - Digital image processing
KW - Laboratory automation
KW - Scientific app
KW - Smart devices
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85028309089&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/elsc.201700056
DO - 10.1002/elsc.201700056
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85028309089
VL - 17
SP - 959
EP - 966
JO - Engineering in life sciences
JF - Engineering in life sciences
SN - 1618-0240
IS - 8
ER -