Hypothetical model for monitoring microbial growth by using capacitance measurements - a minireview

Microbiological impedance devices are used routinely by food and manufactur ing industries, and public health agencies to measure microbial growth and metabolism. In this paper a hypothetical model explaining the effects of mi crobial growth and metabolism on capacitance at electrode-medium interfaces , that can be supported by fundamental theories and principles of electroch emistry, is presented. This model provides a framework to interpret changes in capacitance during microbial growth and metabolism and can be used to g enerate and test hypotheses on factors (i.e., temperature, microbial cell d ensity, microbial growth and medium conductivity) contributing to increases or decreases in capacitance. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights res erved.