Mw. Lechevallier et al., DEVELOPMENT OF A RAPID ASSIMILABLE ORGANIC-CARBON METHOD FOR WATER, Applied and environmental microbiology, 59(5), 1993, pp. 1526-1531
A rapid method for measurement of assimilable organic carbon (AOC) is
proposed. The time needed to perform the assay is reduced by increasin
g the incubation temperature and increasing the inoculum density. The
ATP luciferin-luciferase method quickly enumerates the test organisms
without the need for plate count media or dilution bottles. There was
no significant difference between AOC values determined with strain P1
7 for the ATP and plate count procedures. For strain NOX, the plate co
unt procedure underestimated bacterial levels in some samples. Compari
son of AOC values obtained by the Belleville laboratory (by the ATP te
chnique) and the Stroud Water Research Center (by plate counts) showed
that values were significantly correlated and not significantly diffe
rent. The study concludes that the rapid AOC method can quickly determ
ine the bacterial growth potential of water within 2 to 4 days.