DISCUSSION

1. What is the function of serial dilution in this experiment?

Serial dilution is a dilution in sequential order to reduce a firm culture of cell to a more
feasible concentration. The concentration of bacteria will reduce by a specific amount in
each dilution.

2. What is the relation between colony forming unit (CFU) and viable titre?

Viable titre is determined by colony forming unit per volume and multiplying by dilution
factor. The higher the colony forming unit, the higher the amount of viable titre.

3. What is the function of 7.5% NaCl added to the isolation media and how it will affect
the number of colonies during isolation process?

7.5% NaCl is a selective agent which used to prohibit the growth of bacteria which
cannot tolerate the 7.5% NaCl. Presence of NaCl creates a hypertonic solution hence the
water is removed from cell due to high osmotic pressure, led to the cell membrane shrinks.
Otherwise the colonies present in the isolation media with NaCl are less.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, this experiment is conducted to isolate and count the

microorganism found in a sample of soil by the dilution method using aseptic techniques.
Using spread-plate method to make the microorganism become visible and can be
counted without microscope easily. Therefore, the number of colonies recorded by using
direct counting method. Based on the data, the number of colonies formed in nutrient
agar plate is more than in nutrient agar plate containing 7.5% Sodium Chloride. It shows
that the presence of sodium chloride can reduce the number of colonies because sodium
chloride creates a hypertonic solution hence the water is removed from cell due to high
osmotic pressure and led to the cell membrane shrinks. As a result, the bacteria cannot
live and grow due to the lack of water.
REFERENCE

1. Tankeshwar (2013). Mannitol Salt Agar (MSA): Composition, uses and colony
characteristic. https://microbeonline.com/mannitol-salt-agar-msa-composition-
uses-and-colony-characteristics/. Accessed on 13 October 2019

2. Fiu Faculty Websites (2019). Isolation of Soil Bacteria.

http://faculty.fiu.edu/~gantarm/Ex4SoilBact.pdf. Accessed on 13 October 2019

3. Angela Hartstock (2018). Serial Dilution in Microbiology: Calculation, Method

and Procedure video. https://study.com/academy/lesson/serial-dilution-in-
microbiology-calculation-method-technique.html. Accessed on 13 October 2019

4. Phytopath.ca Websites (2014). Isolation of Soil Microorganisms.

http://phytopath.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Isolation-of-Soil-
Microorganisms.pdf.Accessed on 13 October 2019
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5. Petra Wakefield (2018). How Do I Isolate Bacteria From Soil.

https://www.gbiosciences.com/image/pdfs/protocol/BE-204_protocol.pdf
Accessed on 13 October 2019