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Updated: May 9, 2026

Concurrent Quantification of Cellular and Extracellular Components of Biofilms

Concurrent Quantification of Cellular and Extracellular Components of Biofilms

Published on: December 10, 2013

A simple method for quantifying biomass cell and polymer distribution in biofilms.

Wen Zhang¹, Eric S McLamore, N T Garland

¹Department of Civil Engineering, University of Arkansas, 4190 Bell Engineering Center, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA. wenzhang@uark.edu

Journal of Microbiological Methods

|August 7, 2013

Summary

A new coulter counter method accurately quantifies biomass and differentiates cell/polymer content in dilute biofilms. This rapid technique offers a lower detection limit than standard assays for Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms.

Keywords:

Biofilm Cell count Coulter counter Detachment Exopolymer

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Area of Science:

Microbiology
Biotechnology
Environmental Science

Background:

Biofilms are crucial in environmental and hospital settings.
Current methods struggle to quantify dilute biofilm biomass and composition.
Differentiating biomass components like cells and polymers is challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

Develop a user-friendly method for measuring biomass cell and polymer content in detached biofilms.
Validate a coulter counter technique against established assays.
Assess the method's applicability for environmental and clinical Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains.

Main Methods:

Utilized a standard coulter counter for biomass measurement.
Applied mild chemical treatment to differentiate EPS, cell, and aggregate fractions.
Validated results against EPA method 1684, microscopic counts, and crystal violet assay.

Main Results:

The coulter counter method demonstrated a significantly lower minimum detection limit (0.07 mg/L) compared to EPA (1.9 mg/L) and crystal violet (1.1 mg/L) assays.
The technique can differentiate biomass composition into cell and polymer fractions.
The method is rapid (4-5 min per sample) but limited to dilute samples (<204 mg/L).

Conclusions:

The coulter counter offers a sensitive and rapid method for quantifying dilute biofilm biomass.
Its ability to determine biomass composition is a significant advantage over existing techniques.
This method is vital for advancing the understanding of biofilm dynamics.