Get Reliable Yeast and Mold Results in Just 54 Hours Regardless of Water Activity (aw)

Why Food Microbiology Laboratories Are Adopting BIOKAR Symphony Agar

In food microbiology, rapid and reliable yeast and mold testing is essential for quality assurance, product release, and regulatory compliance. Laboratories following ISO 21527-1:2008 and ISO 21527-2:2008 often face a common challenge: obtaining consistent fungal recovery across food products with different water activity levels.

Whether testing beverages, dairy products, cocoa, powders, bakery products, confectionery items, or environmental samples, microbiologists need a culture medium that delivers reproducible results without compromising turnaround time.

This is where Symphony Agar from Biokar Diagnostics stands apart.

Designed specifically for yeast and mold enumeration using the spread plate method, Symphony Agar combines rapid recovery, excellent selectivity, and validated performance across all food matrices—regardless of water activity (aw).

Get Reliable Yeast and Mold Results in Just 54 Hours

One of the most significant advantages of Symphony Agar is its ability to dramatically reduce incubation time.

Traditional yeast and mold methods commonly require up to five days before colonies can be read and reported. Symphony Agar reduces this waiting period to just 54 hours using the spread plate method.

Benefits of Faster Results

• Faster microbiological reporting

• Faster product release decisions

• Quicker implementation of corrective actions

• Reduced inventory holding costs

• Improved laboratory throughput

• Better utilization of incubator space

For food manufacturers and contract laboratories, reducing incubation time from five days to 54 hours can significantly improve operational efficiency.

The Biggest Advantage: Consistent Performance Regardless of Water Activity (aw)

Why Water Activity Matters

Water activity (aw) plays a major role in fungal growth and recovery. Laboratories routinely test products with vastly different moisture levels, including:

• Dairy products

• Beverages

• Bakery products

• Dried fruits

• Cocoa products

• Powders

• Confectionery

• Spices

• Processed foods

Many conventional culture media perform differently depending on the water activity of the sample, potentially affecting recovery rates and result consistency.

Symphony Agar Solves This Problem

Developed by Biokar Diagnostics, Symphony Agar is specifically formulated to perform consistently regardless of water activity.

It provides reliable fungal recovery across:

• High water activity foods

• Intermediate moisture foods

• Low water activity foods (aw < 0.95)

• Products containing sugar, salt, or preservatives

• Complex processed food matrices

  
  

Why This Matters

For laboratories handling diverse food products, consistent performance regardless of water activity means:

• Improved reproducibility

• Reduced variability in fungal recovery

• Better comparison of results between product categories

• Increased confidence in testing programs

• More reliable trend analysis

Unlike conventional media that may perform differently across food types, Symphony Agar delivers consistent yeast and mold recovery across virtually all matrices tested.

Compatible with ISO 21527-1:2008 and ISO 21527-2:2008

Symphony Agar supports workflows based on:

• ISO 21527-1:2008

• ISO 21527-2:2008

• Spread Plate Method

This enables laboratories to maintain compliance with internationally recognized standards while benefiting from improved efficiency and performance.

Benefits

• ISO-aligned testing procedures

• Consistent analyst-to-analyst performance

• Audit-ready documentation

• Easy implementation within existing workflows

  
  

AFNOR NF VALIDATION Certified

Symphony Agar is certified under AFNOR NF VALIDATION according to ISO 16140-2.

This internationally recognized validation demonstrates that the medium delivers reliable performance while providing significant operational benefits.

Advantages of AFNOR Validation

• Strong regulatory acceptance

• Easier audit justification

• Greater confidence in laboratory results

• Suitable for multinational food manufacturers

• Supports robust quality management systems

  
  

Improved Yeast Identification with Rose Bengal

Symphony Agar contains Rose Bengal, which causes yeast colonies to appear pink.

This simple but powerful feature helps microbiologists distinguish colonies more easily during plate reading.

Benefits

• Faster colony recognition

• Improved readability

• Reduced interpretation errors

• Greater consistency between analysts

  
  

Strong Selectivity Against Bacteria

Bacterial contamination can complicate fungal enumeration and reduce counting accuracy.

Symphony Agar incorporates a selective formulation and acidic environment that inhibits most bacterial growth.

Benefits

• Cleaner plates

• Improved count accuracy

• Reduced background interference

• Easier interpretation

  
  

Better Mold Enumeration Through Reduced Mucor Spreading

Mucor species are known for spreading aggressively across agar surfaces, making accurate mold counts difficult.

Symphony Agar is specifically designed to reduce Mucor spreading.

Benefits

• Better colony separation

• Improved visibility of individual colonies

• More accurate mold counts

• Reduced masking of other fungal species

  
  

Suitable for Environmental Monitoring

In addition to food testing, Symphony Agar can support:

• Surface monitoring

• Production environment monitoring

• Water testing

• Environmental quality control programs

• Air monitoring applications

Using a single medium across multiple testing programs can simplify laboratory operations and inventory management.

Optimized Recovery of Yeasts and Molds

Symphony Agar contains carefully selected:

• Peptones

• Carbohydrates

• Growth-promoting nutrients

These components accelerate fungal growth while maintaining reliable recovery.

Benefits

• High recovery rates

• Reliable enumeration of stressed organisms

• Consistent performance across food matrices

• Greater confidence in contamination detection

  
  

Why Laboratories Are Choosing Symphony Agar

Laboratories increasingly adopt Symphony Agar because it addresses three major challenges simultaneously:

Speed

Reliable yeast and mold results in just 54 hours.

Consistency

Stable performance regardless of water activity (aw).

Compliance

Support for ISO 21527 workflows with AFNOR NF VALIDATION certification.

For laboratories looking to improve turnaround time, standardize testing across diverse food products, and strengthen confidence in fungal enumeration results, Symphony Agar provides a practical and scientifically validated solution.

Learn More About Symphony Agar

If your laboratory performs yeast and mold enumeration under ISO 21527-1:2008 or ISO 21527-2:2008, Symphony Agar can help improve efficiency, reduce incubation time, and deliver reliable results across all food matrices—regardless of water activity.

Contact CM Vargas Enterprise, the exclusive distributor of Biokar Diagnostics products in the Philippines, to request technical documentation, AFNOR validation information, product demonstrations, or trial samples.