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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Precise, High-throughput Analysis of Bacterial Growth
Published on: September 19, 2017
A simplified approach for modelling the bacterial growth/no growth boundary
Pierluigi Polese1, Manuela Del Torre, Massimiliano Spaziani
1Department of Chemical Sciences and Technology, via del Cotonificio 108, University of Udine, 33100 Udine, Italy. pierluigi.polese@uniud.it
Abstract:
A simplified growth/no growth (G/NG) model, conceptually derived from the Gamma model and making direct and explicit use of growth limits of bacteria through a normalization constant (η), was proposed. The η value, which quantifies the product of the cardinal optimal distances for growth probability, is a species-independent constant. This is of importance when experimental data is missing or insufficient. The simplified G/NG model was developed including the effect of temperature, pH and water activity, and was expanded incorporating the preservative effects. As a practical application, the model was investigated for its ability to describe published data. The successful validation of the simplified G/NG model is discussed in regard to its potential applicability as a first estimate method for the development of safe food products.
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