What is the pour plate method?

The pour plate method is a microbiological procedure used to isolate and quantity viable microorganisms in a liquid sample. This involves adding the sample into molten agar before it solidifies, allowing growth within the agar medium. This method creates evenly dispersed colonies within the solid medium when a suitable dilution of the sample is plated. It is utilized for viable plate counts, where the total count of CFUs both within the agar and on its surface in a single plate is determined.