Streamline Your Workflow: Leverage Barcodes with Neogen® Petrifilm® Systems

The Benefits of Using Barcodes

Barcodes are a simple and effective way to increase standardization and reduce the risk of errors in commercial food safety labs. Simply scanning a barcode on a Petrifilm Plate eliminates the need for manual data entry by a technician - helping to save valuable time and workflow standardization. Each barcode uniquely identifies important pieces of information like test type, sample ID, dilution, date, and more. This standardized format of information allows labs to easily track and retrieve information for more consistent data analysis and reporting. Many labs can directly print barcodes from their Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), which allows for the transfer of data between the software managers and LIMS to be almost seamless.

Using Barcodes with the Neogen Petrifilm Plate Reader Advanced and the Petrifilm Automated Feeder

With the introduction of the Petrifilm Automated Feeder, which holds up to 300 Petrifilm Plates and can process those plates in 33 minutes, users can now use barcodes to load Petrifilm Plates in any order, eliminating the need to sort plates after incubation.

Requirements

Ensure your barcode meets the following requirements:

• Your barcode symbology is supported by one of the following: Codabar, Code 39, Code 128, Data Matrix, EAN-8, EAN-13, PDF-417, QR Code, UPC-A, UPC-E.
  • Please note that QR Codes are the recommended symbology.
• The barcode must contain the Petrifilm Plate type.
• It is recommended the barcode contain Sample ID & Dilution.
• The location of the barcode needs to meet the specifications shown below.

Barcode Selection and Mapping

1. Users can either select the barcode symbology they are using, or they can select Start under Auto Detect Symbology and insert a plate with a barcode on it, after which the software will automatically detect it if it is one of the 10 symbologies that are supported.

2. Users can then select the fields that appear in the barcode and specify the length of each data field.
   • The characters need to be consistent in length for each field (e.g., you cannot use APC and EC but instead would need to use AC and EC).
   
   
3. Fill out the table so that what is written in the barcode can be assigned to the correct plate in the software.
   • The value in the barcode is EC, which equates to the EC/CC plate in the software.
   
   
4. Similarly, you need to convert dilutions or plate types to a barcode-readable format.
   • The value in the barcode is 2, which equates to a 1:10 dilution in the software.
   
   

For more in-depth information on setting up your barcode, please see our technical bulletin on Barcode Set Up and Requirements.

To contact a Neogen expert, please visit our Petrifilm Automated Feeder Support Page.

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