Automated Colony Counter for Food Safety Labs
AI-powered counting for coliforms, yeast, mold, and environmental Listeria monitoring. 21 CFR Part 11 audit trails. Designed and assembled in the USA.
IncuCount is an automated colony counter built for food safety and beverage microbiology labs that need accurate colony counts at a pace that matches production. In a published validation study, IncuCount averaged 99.27% accuracy across multiple plate samples using E. coli on MacConkey agar. That accuracy holds whether your lab is reading five plates or two hundred, which matters when every count feeds a hold-and-release decision.
Keeping Up With High-Volume Testing Without Sacrificing Accuracy
A food safety lab rarely runs the same volume two days in a row. A normal week might mean forty to sixty plates a day. Then a production surge, a new supplier qualification round, or a Listeria investigation pushes that number well past a hundred. Manual counting does not flex with that kind of swing. An automated colony counter does.
IncuCount reads a plate in only a few seconds, whether it's the first plate of the day or the two-hundredth. Counting speed and counting accuracy both stay constant regardless of volume. Manual counting slows down and gets less consistent as the day goes on and colony loads climb.
What Peak-Season Volume Does to Manual Counting Accuracy
Manual counting depends on a person, and people get tired. As plate counts climb through a shift, that fatigue affects how carefully each plate gets read.
Counts can also vary between technicians and between shifts. Two people reading the same plate under time pressure will not always agree on a borderline colony, and there's no way to check that after the fact with a manual count alone.
Manual counting also requires a second step: transcribing the result into your LIMS. That transcription step is a second opportunity for error on top of the count itself. Automated colony counting removes it, since the count exports directly.
The Real Cost of a Slow or Inconsistent Count
A slow count delays a hold-and-release decision. Product sits while the lab works through a backlog, which creates real cost in storage time and friction with production scheduling.
An inconsistent count carries a bigger risk. If a recall investigation turns up different counting methods or unexplained variation between results, that variation becomes something you have to explain, not just a number you report. High-throughput labs counting pathogens on selective media need results they can stand behind across hundreds of plates a day. That's the problem automated colony counting solves.
Built for the Media and Organisms Food Safety Labs Actually Test
A food safety lab doesn't run one plate type. IncuCount is compatible with standard 100mm Petri dishes, PetriFilm, CompactDry, and Microfast, along with a range of media including Nutrient Agar, Plate Count Agar, Potato Dextrose Agar, Tryptic Soy Agar, MacConkey Agar, and chromogenic media. The system captures a high-resolution image of each plate and applies AI-driven detection to count colonies regardless of plate type.
Coliform, Yeast, and Mold Counts in Seconds
IncuCount applies machine learning and high-resolution imaging to the plates a food safety lab runs every day, including coliform, yeast, and mold counts and total aerobic plate counts. On the IC-150 and IC-200 models, color differentiation distinguishes up to ten different colony colors, which helps separate coliforms from background growth on chromogenic and selective media. The IC-75 does not include color differentiation.
Specific applications include raw water analysis, drinking water plate counts, juice yeast and mold counts, and carbonated beverage microbial growth analysis, in addition to routine coliform, yeast, and mold testing.
Environmental Monitoring for Listeria Control Programs
Environmental monitoring is its own workflow: swab a surface, plate on selective agar, incubate, and count. IncuCount ties every plate image to its operator, timestamp, and count, which gives you the record you need to show exactly what was found and when, whether that's for your own corrective action process or for an auditor asking to see the data behind a result.
Is an Automated Colony Counter Accurate Enough for Food Safety Testing?
Yes. In a published validation study, IncuCount averaged 99.27% accuracy across multiple plate samples, using E. coli colonies grown on MacConkey agar in standard 100mm dishes. That figure is documented and available for review, not an estimate.
How the Accuracy Study Was Run
The study ran multiple plate samples across a range of colony densities to reflect real lab conditions, not just a best-case sample. Full methodology and plate-by-plate results are available on the IncuCount 200 accuracy report page, along with an interactive tool where you can test the system against your own plate images.
Does It Correlate With AOAC Reference Methods
Automated counts are built to align with standard plate count methodology, and any lab bringing IncuCount into a food safety workflow should run its own correlation study against its current reference method as part of implementation. That's standard practice for any new counting method entering a regulated or GFSI-audited workflow, automated or manual.
IncuCount has not claimed formal AOAC Performance Tested Method certification. Correlation with AOAC reference methods is demonstrated through Newlander's own validation testing, not a third-party PTM review.
| Metric | Manual Counting | IncuCount |
|---|---|---|
| Accuracy | Varies by operator, time of day, and colony load | 99.27% average, validated on E. coli / MacConkey agar |
| Time per plate | One to several minutes, depending on colony density | Seconds |
| Consistency across volume | Declines with fatigue and high plate counts | Stays constant regardless of volume |
| Audit trail | Manual logbook or separate data entry | Automatic: timestamp, operator, raw image, count |
| LIMS export | Manual transcription | Direct export: CSV, Excel, PDF, TIFF |
One System Across Multiple Plants
Multi-site food companies and co-packers run into a specific problem. One plant counts one way, another plant counts a different way, and when a recall investigation needs to compare data across facilities, those differences become noise you have to explain instead of evidence you can rely on.
Standardizing on one automated colony counter across every site removes that variation. Every plate gets read under the same detection method, at the same speed, with the same record format, no matter which facility ran the test.
Why Multi-Site Consistency Matters for Recalls and Corporate QA
A recall investigation that spans multiple facilities needs data that can actually be compared. If one plant counted manually and another used a different automated system with different settings, corporate QA is troubleshooting a data comparability problem before the real investigation even starts.
One counting standard across every plant means every count is generated the same way and logged in the same format, which gives corporate QA a single, defensible source of truth.
Staying Audit-Ready for SQF, BRC, and FSSC 22000
Automatic audit trails, timestamped records, and user credentials support the documentation that GFSI-benchmarked standards like SQF, BRC, and FSSC 22000 expect to see. IncuCount doesn't replace your facility's food safety program or its GFSI certification. GFSI schemes certify facilities and programs, not individual instruments. What IncuCount provides is the record-keeping behind your counting data, ready to show an auditor when asked.
The IC-75 and above support 21 CFR Part 11 with automatic audit trails and secure record keeping, which is also relevant for facilities with FSMA electronic recordkeeping obligations.
What Gets Logged Automatically
Every time a plate is read, IncuCount logs the timestamp, the operator, the raw plate image, and the final count. There's no manual entry and no separate logbook to keep current. The record generates itself, and it's there for an auditor to review directly.
Which Models Are Compliance-Ready
Every IncuCount model, including the IC-25, ships with manufacturer-supplied IQ and OQ protocols at no extra charge. PQ is performed by your own lab, since it has to reflect your specific methods and products.
The IC-75 and above are positioned as 21 CFR Part 11 compliant, with automatic audit trails and LIMS export. The IC-25 provides automated counting and reporting, but it isn't marketed with that same Part 11 audit-trail and LIMS-export feature set.
Which IncuCount Model Fits a Food Safety Lab?
IncuCount comes in several models, and the right one depends on your plate volume and the media you run.
The IC-75 is the compliance-ready entry point. It supports 21 CFR Part 11 with automatic audit trails and LIMS export, and it reads standard agar plates, PetriFilm, CompactDry, and Microfast.
The IC-150 adds color differentiation, distinguishing up to ten different colony colors. That matters on chromogenic and selective media, where color is how you tell coliforms or other target organisms apart from background growth.
The IC-200 adds higher throughput and, based on Newlander's current FAQ, is the only model confirmed for automated inhibition zone measurement. For a lab running hundreds of plates a day, the IC-200 is built for that volume.
| Feature | IC-75 | IC-150 | IC-200 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $3,999 | $4,999 | $5,999 |
| Minimum colony detection | 0.09mm | 0.09mm | 0.09mm |
| Color differentiation | No | Yes, up to 10 colors | Yes, up to 10 colors |
| Inhibition zone measurement | No | No | Yes |
| 21 CFR Part 11 / audit trails | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| LIMS export | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much faster is automated colony counting than manual counting? Only a few seconds per plate. Manual counting of a high-density plate can take several minutes, and that gap widens as colony counts climb.
Can it count coliforms, yeast, and mold on PetriFilm and CompactDry, not just standard Petri dishes? Yes. IncuCount reads PetriFilm, CompactDry, Microfast, standard agar plates, and chromogenic media. Color differentiation on the IC-150 and IC-200 helps distinguish coliforms on chromogenic media by colony color.
Does it integrate with a LIMS, and in what formats? Yes. IncuCount exports data in CSV, Excel, PDF, and TIFF. Every export includes the raw plate image, operator, timestamp, and count, so results move into your records without manual transcription.
What is the warranty and satisfaction guarantee? Every IncuCount system comes with a 2-year manufacturer's warranty and a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. All models ship with manufacturer-supplied IQ and OQ protocols at no extra charge.
Is Newlander an American manufacturer? Yes. IncuCount is designed and assembled in Forest Lake, Minnesota.
See the Validation Data for Yourself
You don't have to take our word for the 99.27% accuracy figure. The full validation report is available for review, with plate-by-plate data and methodology.
Want to see it work on your own samples first? The Demo Playground lets you upload your own plate images and see counting results before you buy. No download, no sales call.
Every IncuCount system ships with a 2-year warranty, a 30-day satisfaction guarantee, and IQ/OQ protocols included at no charge. Built and assembled in the USA.
If your lab works under pharmaceutical GMP requirements instead of food safety standards, see our page built specifically for pharmaceutical QC labs.