Contact Plates

settle plates being held

The methods used are accredited by UKAS to ISO / IEC 17025:2015.

Contact plates give a snapshot of cleanliness of work surfaces within the clean room. Agar plates are applied to the surface. Microorganisms present stick to the agar, and after incubation produces a mirror image of the original viable count.

stack of settle plates

Two types of agar plates are commonly used are:

  • Tryptone Soya Agar for the determination of bacterial contamination.

  • Sabouraud Dextrose Agar for the determination of fungal contamination.

Other agar types can be used if required. This test can be carried out as part of a site visit or can be performed remotely by you