ISO International Standard

ISO 29981|IDF 220:2010 specifies a method for the selective enumeration of presumptive bifidobacteria in milk products by using a colony count technique at 37 °C under anaerobic conditions.

The method is applicable to milk products such as fermented and non-fermented milks, milk powders, infant formulae, and starter cultures where these microorganisms are present and viable, and in combination with other lactic acid bacteria.

Bifidobacteria used in milk products usually belong to the species: Bifidobacterium adolescentis; B. animalis subsp. animalis; B. animalis subsp. lactis; B. bifidum; B. breve; B. infantis; B. longum.