The ‘Large Colony’ analysis allows for detection and quantification of growth area by AI-based image models. This analysis is especially potent for growth analysis of fungi, swarming bacteria, and other large colony-forming microbes.

Fig. 1. Fungal growth analysis. Automatic detection and tracking of fungal colonies by AI-powered image analysis.

Compatibility

The ‘Large Colony’ analysis is compatible with a variety of methods, including:

• Surface plating of spore suspensions
• Environmental, air, and bioburden samples
• Membrane filter CFU counting
• Radial growth measurements
• Growth analysis on food matrices

Applications

The ‘Large Colony’ analysis offers valuable insights across a variety of applications, particularly in industries focused on microbial growth and inhibition. The key areas include:

• Shelf-life, bioprotection, and preservative testing: Analyze growth of spoilage organisms on food matrices to determine the effectiveness of preservatives and bioprotective agents.
• Evaluation of biocontrol potential and challenge testing: Test microbial biocontrol agents against plant pathogens to evaluate efficiency of biocontrol strategies
• Challenge testing: Test bioprotective organisms against spoilage organisms to measure the inhibition potential in food products applications.
• Investigation of inhibitory compound performance: Test effectiveness of inhibitory compounds for suppression of fungal or bacterial colony formation, aiding in the development of new antimicrobial products.
• Optimization of growth conditions and media composition: Optimize growth conditions such as temperature, pH, and nutrient composition. Fine-tune media formulations to support or inhibit the growth of specific organisms, improving both experimental control and product development outcomes.

Fig. 2. Growth analysis on food. The ‘Large Colony’ analysis is compatible with growth detection and quantification on food matrices, such as yoghurt, bread, cheese, and jam. Left: The timelapse shows mold growth on plain yoghurt (top) and colored yoghurt (bottom). Right: The well view demonstrates mold growth quantification over time.

Analysis visualization in the Reshape user interphase

To get a quick overview of your experiment, key metrics and data analysis graphs are available in the Reshape user interphase.

The ‘Large Colony’ analysis outputs the maximum count, time of appearance (h), and maximum growth rate (mm^2/h) as metrics. In addition, data analysis is visualized on the graphs;

• ‘Count’ displaying CFU count over time and time of appearance
• ‘Total Area’ showing a growth curve based on the combined colony area
• ‘Growth Rate’ displaying the change in growth rate between all timepoints

Fig. 3. Key outputs on the Reshape UI. The ‘Large Colony’ analysis outputs graphs of growth area, CFU count, and growth rate over time. In addition, the metrics maximum count, maximum detected growth rate, and time of appearance are available for a quick overview.

Data analysis export

Image and analysis data is recorded for the smallest unit, such as a well or petri dish. The data analysis can be exported in CSV or Excel format. The file includes CFU count, growth rate, and total growth area for all timepoints across each plate and well position. If microbial growth covers the entire plate or colonies are indistinguishable, the result will be labeled ‘Overgrown’.

Customized data export

Growth analysis on colony level is not provided by default, but can be enabled by customized export. If your research requires colony-level data, such as for antagonistic assays, please contact Reshape.

Fig. 4. Growth analysis on colony-level. Automatic detection and tracking of individual fungal colonies by AI-powered image analysis. Each colony is assigned an ID and the growth expansion is monitored over time.