Use of Total Aerobic Count as a Means for Determining Food Microbial Specification

Total aerobic count is one of the two most often used microbiological tests for foods. It is mainly appropriate for:
1. Testing process integrity.
2. Determining general sanitation levels of foods and food processing environments.
3. Determining probability of previous temperature abuse of food and raw materials.
4. Determining incipient of food spoilage.

To determine levels of acceptable aerobic microbial count, the following should be taken into consideration:
1. The type of food and type of microbial flora natural to the food product or raw material.
2. Microbial level should be balanced by what is achievable by the food process and processing conditions.
3. The level should be within the industry norms.
4. The Industry's economical status should be considered.
5. Level should be based on past experience, literature, and available data for the food product category.