Yeast and Mold

Yeasts and molds are present everywhere and enter foods through inadequately sanitized equipment or as airborne contaminants. Yeasts and molds tend to multiply in foods when conditions for bacterial growth are less favorable, e.g., foods with low aw, low pH, high salt, etc. Conventional microbiological methods for the detection, quantification and identification of yeasts and molds are time-consuming, taking up to 14 days. With unique real-time PCR methods, the quantification of yeasts and molds is easily done within hours.