Bioburden detection on surface and water samples in a rapid, ultra-sensitive and high-throughput manner

Bioburden detection is crucial for food, water, and biopharmaceutical applications as it can directly impact public health. The objective of this study is to develop and validate an assay and protocol for detecting bioburden on solid surfaces, as well as in water, with high sensitivity and accuracy in a rapid manner. Henceforth, a resazurin-based assay optimized for detecting bioburden has been integrated with a previously developed portable multichannel fluorometer. The microbes were isolated from solid surfaces in different laboratory settings by swabbing technique, and stream water was collected for contamination analysis. Based on the results, the assay and protocol can successfully detect bioburden as low as 20 CFU/cm² and 10 CFU/mL present in both surface and water samples, respectively.