Testing methods.

An encyclopedia entry for "testing methods" is presented. The monitoring of potential bacterial contamination is an essential element of the food manufacturing industry. It entails the sampling of particular foods on a regular basis as part of a sampling programme, the growing of organisms from these samples under laboratory conditions and eventual assessment of the bacterial status of the samples. A number of physical, biological, immunological and biochemical testing techniques are used, including radiometry, microcalorimetry and phage typing.