France-based Association Francaise de Normalisation (AFNOR) has given NF validation for the 3M Petrifilm Aqua Coliform Count Plate experiment of 3M Food Safety, a Minnesota-based food and beverage safety and quality monitoring solutions provider which detects and enumerates the bacterial colonies in bottled water samples.

The 3M Petrifilm Aqua Plate technology is validated against ISO 9308-1 and follows prior validation as Performance Tested Method (PTM) in the US under the guidelines of Maryland-based AOAC Research Institute.

The 3M Petrifilm Aqua Coliform Count Plate will help provide safer bottled water sources throughout the world.

Introduced in March 2011, the 3M Petrifilm Aqua Plate technology offers consistent performance, minimal storage and enhanced productivity compared to conventional methods like usage of bulkier media pads, disposable filter funnels and agar petri dishes.

The NF validation is a two phase process which starts with comparing and testing the new technology protocol’s effectiveness against the standard methods and is followed by collaborative study where many laboratories compare the efficacy of both test method and reference method under defined conditions.

The 3M Petrifilm Aqua Coliform Count Plate was validated by nine separate, independent laboratories from four countries.

3M Food Safety France regulatory affairs specialist Marie-Pierre Copin said AFNOR’s validation provides an important vote of confidence – one they know customers around the entire world trust and respect.

"Safe water is obviously a global concern, and water bottlers everywhere need reliable methods of assurance against harmful organisms like coliform and E. coli," Copin said.

AFNOR-approved 3M Petrifilm Aqua Coliform Count Plates are available for worldwide purchase and testing.

3M Food Safety helps the food and beverage industries by optimizing the quality and safety of their products that help mitigate risk, improve operational efficiencies and enable consumer protection.