Introduction
Serial dilutions are used in microbiology to decrease the bacterial population to a
required concentration. Turbidity measurement is the phenomenon used to measure the
concentration of bacterial population by measuring the cloudiness or haziness of the
broth culture which is caused by the presence of microorganisms (bacteria). Turbidity
measurement can be used to estimate the cell density of the microorganisms in the
broth culture, which is essential for various applications, such as antibiotic susceptibility
testing, microbial enumeration, and fermentation processes. It can also be used to
assess the effectiveness of antimicrobial agents or other inhibitors on microbial growth.
By measuring turbidity, you can gain valuable insights into microbial growth and
behavior, enabling informed decisions in various fields, such as microbiology,
biotechnology, and food safety. However, for determinations on extracts ( e.g. antibiotics
and vitamins ) of bacteria the turbidimetry method is no longer useful and it is necessary
to resort to weighing or chemical determination. In 1907, MacFarlane introduced the first
standard turbidimetry preparation for use in bacteriology. Brown studied and extended
the system. Both MacFarlane and Brown referred the results of the opacity
determination to the number of bacilli measured by use of counting chambers. Their
turbidimetric observations were performed with the naked eye. In this report we are
going to discuss and measure the effect of light dispersed by colloidal suspension in a
solution.
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Aim: To estimate the amount of cells in a suspension of bacteria by
turbidity measurement
Material / Apparatus
Clean cuvettes
2 3ml sterile pipettes
1 spectrophotometer
5 test tubes
nutrient broth culture
Procedure
1. Prepare your broth cultures by inoculating nutrient broth with the desired
microorganism.
3. Label five test tubes and add 9 ml of nutrient broth to each.
4. Using a sterile pipette, transfer 1 ml of each culture to the corresponding test tube,
ensuring each test tube contains the same volume of culture.
5. Mix the contents of each test tube thoroughly by gently swirling.
6. Measure the initial turbidity of each culture using a spectrophotometer at 620
wavelength.
7. Record the initial optical density (OD) readings for each test tube.
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Turbidity Measurement of Broth Culture
Results:
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Discussion of Results
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Conclusion
In conclusion, the turbidity measurement experiment conducted on the broth culture
effectively demonstrated the growth and density of microorganisms present in the
culture over time. The results obtained indicate a clear correlation between optical
density readings and microbial growth, with an increase in turbidity directly
corresponding to an increase in cell concentration. This relationship is in line with the
principles of turbidimetric measurements, where the scattering of light by particles in
suspension is used to quantify microbial growth (Madigan et al., 2018).
Furthermore, the consistency and reproducibility of the turbidity measurements highlight
the reliability of this method for monitoring microbial growth in liquid cultures. By utilizing
turbidity as a proxy for cell density, researchers can efficiently track the growth kinetics
of microorganisms without the need for time-consuming and labor-intensive cell
counting techniques (Madigan et al., 2018).
Overall, the turbidity measurement experiment provided valuable insights into the
dynamics of microbial growth in the broth culture, underscoring the utility of turbidimetric
methods in microbiology research and bioprocess monitoring.
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References
Madigan, M. T., Martinko, J. M., Bender, K. S., Buckley, D. H., & Stahl, D. A. (2018).
Brock Biology of Microorganisms (15th ed.). Pearson.
