GIFSQ Tools · Module 3 — Food Microbiology & Enumeration · Tool 053 of 500
Work out when incubated plates are due to be read, and keep the schedule saved on this device.
Try sample values — fills the form with the worked example below.
Saved on this device only. The schedule is stored in this browser; it is not sent anywhere.
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Read day (days after start)
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Read time (hour of day)
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Total incubation (h)
Equation: Read time = start hour + duration; read day = floor(read time ÷ 24); read hour = read time mod 24; °F to °C: (°F − 32) × 5/9.
Method: Incubation scheduling per ISO 7218:2007 (general requirements for microbiological examinations) and the incubation times and temperatures in FDA BAM Chapter 3 and ISO 4833-1:2013.
Assumptions: The start hour is the hour of day the plates enter the incubator; the read time is the earliest time the count may be read.
Limitations: This tool tracks clock time only — it does not check incubator temperature records, and a plate read early or late needs a deviation note in the laboratory record.
Rounding: Read hour to 1 decimal place; read day is a whole number; intermediates unrounded.
This is a calculation aid, not a laboratory report — confirm against your accredited method before citing a value.
Method: Incubation scheduling per ISO 7218:2007 (general requirements for microbiological examinations) and the incubation times and temperatures in FDA BAM Chapter 3 and ISO 4833-1:2013.
Assumptions: The start hour is the hour of day the plates enter the incubator; the read time is the earliest time the count may be read.
Limitations: This tool tracks clock time only — it does not check incubator temperature records, and a plate read early or late needs a deviation note in the laboratory record.
Rounding: Read hour to 1 decimal place; read day is a whole number; intermediates unrounded.
This is a calculation aid, not a laboratory report — confirm against your accredited method before citing a value.
Worked example: Plates go in at 14:00 for a 48 h incubation at 35 °C: read time = 14 + 48 = 62 h, so read on day 2 at 14:00.
Saved schedule
| Plate / sample | Temp (°C) | Duration (h) | Read day | Read hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No entries saved yet. | ||||
Enter values above to see results.
Read day 0 means the same day the plates went in. Check the incubator temperature log before reading. Tool 053 of 500 — GIFSQ
