A Plastic Replica-Embedding and Staining Technique for Studying the Behavior of Microorganisms on Food-Contact Surfaces

A simple, versatile technique of embedding and staining microorganisms which are present on food-contact surfaces has been developed which can be performed with equipment and materials readily available from scientific supply houses. A Gram-staining procedure can be advantageously employed to differentiate bacteria and other microbes from other surface residues on the plastic-embedding matrix utilized in this technique. The stained preparations may be embedded in material such as Tissuemat and conveniently sectioned and examined from many angles. The plastic replicas are quite stable to the effects of aging; thus, can be stored for future reference.