Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC)

Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) testing determines if a substance will inhibit the growth of test organisms.

Many customers will test a variety of formula concentrations to determine which antimicrobial concentration or additive is the most effective.

From visual observation, testing can determine whether or not the substance inhibits growth of the test organisms.  A cloudy mixture indicates high organism growth and concludes the test substance is not inhibitory to test organisms at that particular concentration.

Testing can also yield a clear mixture after incubation, which can indicate one of two outcomes- extremely low organism count or high antimicrobial performance.

Results from testing can help customers choose the most efficient formulation for their product and can be an important step in their product development.

MIC assays are not used for biocidal activity and only indicate an antimicrobial’s inhibitory activity.

To determine the biocidal affects a formulation has on microorganisms, customers request Minimum Biocidal Concentration (MBC) testing.

For more information on MIC, MBC, or Antimicrobial testing, contact our antimicrobial lab at 847-483-9950 or info@situtest.com.