Medium and interface components in impedance microbiology

Classic impedance microbiology (CIM) is based on the measurement of the impedance components that appear between a pair of electrodes submerged in a cell containing inoculated broth. Either a bipolar or a tetrapolar technique can be applied, requiring about 1 x 10(3) to 3 x 10(7) cells/ml to produce detectable changes in the impedance curves. Theoretical analysis of the electrode-electrolyte interface during bacterial growth is lacking, with no generally accepted measuring standards. Besides, there is considerable disagreement. We separated out the interface and medium components using the frequency variation technique (FVT) and also analyzed the interface reactance-resistance diagram, both before and after bacterial growth. Medium resistance Rm, interface reactance Xi, and interface resistance Ri, were quantified as time functions growth curves, from the complex bipolar impedance seen between two electrodes. We took into account the electrical current density, the temperature and the associated circuitry, also explaining the theoretical and experimental bases that justify the proposed dissecting procedure. It was found that, within the working frequency range, Rm, Ri, and Xi percental growth curves are frequency-independent, i.e., neither Rm(f), nor Xi(f) nor Ri(f) changed their slopes before, during and after bacterial growth. Besides, no alpha-dispersion effect in Rm curves was detected. It is concluded that impedance microbiology could become a fertile area for interdisciplinary knowledge; its development might offer new avenues for basic and applied research.