Explain the Theory or Principle for Determination of Fungal and Yeast Count?

Fungi are widespread and present on food, equipments and processing and storage facilities. These are the major cause of food spoilage and result in great economic loss. Further, the growth of fungi on foods may result in production of toxins called mycotoxins, many of which are carcinogenic. The presence of large number of moulds and yeasts in food suggests poor sanitary conditions or temperature abuse.

Analysis of food for moulds and yeasts is, therefore, needed to access the safety and quality of these foods. Non-selective, non-differential medium like acidified PDA and antibiotic plate count agar can be used for fungal detection and enumeration. Here low pH and antibiotics inhibit the growth of bacteria, not of yeasts and moulds.