water treatment plants monitor drinking, waste, and surface water for the presence of coliform bacteria by the MF Technique. The key organism monitored in water treatment facilities is E. coli. The U.S. EPA considers this organism the leading indicator of fecal contamination.
The MF Technique is also used for microbial monitoring in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, electronics, and food and beverage industries. The MF Technique is used in these industrial labs monitor the presence of microorganisms in process waters and final product.
The pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries typically focus on monitoring their process water for Pseudomonas species. The electronics industry monitors for any and all microorganisms because they must keep their process water free from even the smallest organisms. Microbial monitoring in the food and beverage industry typically employs several types of techniques because of the variety of samples that are encountered. Beverage samples can typically be monitored for microorganisms by the MF Technique, but when solid samples cannot be liquefied, alternative methods must be used.