Evaluating the applicability of mould counting methods for cigar

To investigate the applicability of mould counting methods for cigar, the degrees of mould in 13 cigar samples were counted by using rose bengal agar medium, modified potato dextrose agar medium, and SYMPHONY Agar rapid chromogenic medium. The consistency of the mould counting results on the three media with different inoculation methods was evaluated, and the mould counting methods were compared. The results showed that: 1)The consistency of the mould counting results on the three media was better when adopting the same inoculation method. 2)On the same medium, spread plate method was more convenient in operation, the colonies distributed evenly, and the typical colonies were easier to be interpreted. 3) Comparing with the other two media, SYMPHONY Agar rapid chromogenic medium required a shorter culture period, the sizes of typical mould colonies were uniform, and the mould counting was easier. Therefore, SYMPHONY Agar rapid chromogenic medium combined with the spread plate method is more suitable to the mould counting of cigar.