Explain the Most Probable Number (MPN)?

MPN is a statistical estimating technique which is based on the fact that more the number of bacteria in a sample, more is the dilution needed to reduce the number to a point where no bacteria is left to grow in the tubes in a dilution series. What are the advantages of MPN? The advantages include:

(i) The method is useful when the microbes cannot be grown on solid media.

(ii) It is also useful when liquid differential media is used for microbial identification.

With MPN, we end our discussion on the direct estimation methods.