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Colitag™ Expands Its Reach: Neogen® Launches MPNTray™ for Quantitative Coliform and E. coli Data

January 08, 2026

microbiological water control requires not only knowing if contamination is present, but also understanding its magnitude to make better informed decisions. With that logic, Neogen® announced the launch of Neogen® MPNTray™, an extension of its Colitag™ Water Test System, designed for water testing laboratories and municipalities.

This proposal adds key value: beyond the traditional presence/absence approach, MPNTray™ allows for reporting quantitative results of total coliforms and Escherichia coli (E. coli), providing a more comprehensive vision of water quality.

Learn more about Colitag

From "Complying" to "Understanding": The Value of Quantifying

The biggest takeaway is not just having an additional method, but enabling a more data-driven approach to QA/FS:

  • Visibility for faster decisions: Quantifying helps distinguish whether a finding is isolated or part of a recurring pattern.
  • Better trend management: Makes it easier to compare periods, lines, areas, sources or operating conditions.
  • More focused corrective actions: Allows prioritizing intervention and evaluating subsequent effectiveness with greater clarity.

What is Neogen ® MPNTray™ and what does it bring to the Colitag™ system?

Neogen MPNTray™ is presented as an extension of Colitag™ that delivers clear visual results using a sterile 97-well tray from a 100 mL sample. In conjunction with Colitag™, the scheme allows:

  • Report total coliforms and E. coli 
  • Obtain quantitative results in addition to Presence/Absence 
  • Achieve a detection of 1 CFU per 100 mL 
  • Have quantitative results in as little as 16 hours, valid for up to 48 hours

For plants, this translates into a balance between agility, clear readability, and depth of analysis, without making the process unnecessarily complex.

How to take advantage of it in practice (3 applicable steps)

1. Define the Sampling Program Objective 

  • Routine verification (continuous monitoring)
  • Investigation after a finding/complaint
  • Validation of changes (sanitation, infrastructure, source)
  • Trends and comparison by periods/sites 

2. Standardize sites, frequency and action criteria

  • Define critical points (entry, storage, distribution, and process use) 
  • Align frequency with risk and historical data 
  • Define escalation criteria (re-sampling, investigation, sanitation and internal communication) 

3. Turn results into actions and learning 

  • Document root cause and corrective actions 
  • Identify patterns (recurrence, seasonality and hotspots) 
  • Measure useful metrics (closure time, recurrence, post-action effectiveness) 

Want to see the Press Release? 

If you would like to consult the Full press release in English, it is recommended to access here:   

Press Release Site

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

  1. What does Colitag™ detect with Neogen ® MPNTray™? 
    It enables the assessment of Total Coliforms and E. coli, providing both quantitative results and Presence/ Absence detection.

  2. What does MPN mean in MPNTray™?
    "Most Probable Number", an approach used to estimate microbial concentration from observable reactions in a series of wells.

  3. When do you get results?
    Quantitative results in as little as 16 hours, valid up to 48 hours.

  4. Who is MPNTray™ designed for?
    The launch is aimed at water analysis laboratories and municipalities; in food plants, it comes in handy when QA/FS requires more actionable data for water management.

Learn more about Colitag

Category: Food Safety, Water, Water Treatment