Reproducibility of the Most Probable Numbers Technique for Determining the Sanitary Quality of Clams

The reproducibility of most probable numbers results in the bacteriological examination of clam meats, using the tentatively recommended procedure, is less than has been indicated in use with water analysis. Entrapped air bubbles in ground clam meats contribute to the variability of results by (i) lowering the density of the sample material, producing inaccurate aliquots for inocula, and (ii) interfering with the attainment of homogeneity in the brei.