Name: _________________________________

A microbial broth was heated in a water bath @120 degrees Celsius. There were 6,000 CFU initially. If the
broth is checked every 6 minutes and the rate of microbial death is 600 CFU per 6 minutes, at what point will
the broth be totally free of living microbes?

Carefully plot your data in the graph below and label all information clearly.
# of Microbes (CFU)

Time or
Temperature CFU
What is the variable?

What is the constant?

Thermal death _________________?

Starting inoculum?

1
Name: _________________________________

E. coli was cultured and exposed to 20, 25, 30, and 35ᵒ C for 10 minutes; there was 150 CFU at 20ᵒC and
there was 50 CFU at 30ᵒC and death rate remains at this steady pattern. Graph and answer the following
questions.

Carefully plot your data in the graph below and label all information clearly.
# of Microbes (CFU)

Time or
Temperature CFU
What is the variable?

What is the constant?

Thermal death _________________?

Starting inoculum?

2
Name: _________________________________

Staphylococcus aureus is sampled at 50, 60, 70, and 80ᵒC. The samples are tested once they have been in a
temperature for 10 minutes and there was 50 CFU at 60ᵒC and 1/2 is lost at each higher temperature.

Carefully plot your data in the graph below and label all information clearly.
# of Microbes (CFU)

Time or
Temperature PFU
What is the variable?

What is the constant?

Thermal death _________________?

Starting inoculum?

3
Name: _________________________________

Listeria monocytogenes and Clostridium tetani are heated at 60 degrees Celsius and sampled every 10
minutes. Clostridium tetani was dead at 30 minutes and Listeria was dead at 70 minutes. Clostridium tetani
had a starting inoculum of 60 CFU and lost 20 CFU every 10 minutes. Lysteria monocytogenes had 25 CFU at
35 minutes and lost 5 CFU every 5 minutes.

Carefully plot your data in the graph below and label all information clearly.
# of Microbes (CFU)

What is the variable?

What is the constant?

Thermal death _________________?

Starting inoculum?

4
Name: _________________________________

In sample 1, influenza virus was heated from 15 degrees C to 60 degrees C in 15 degree increments; at each
temperature the virus was heated for 10 min and had lost 15 PFU each time until it had 0 PFU at 45 degrees
Celsius. In sample 2, influenza virus was heated at 40 degrees C for 3 hours and was sampled every half hour
and no viral particles were detected during the 5th sampling, and sample 2 lost 100 PFU every 30 minutes.

Carefully plot your data in the graph below and label all information clearly.
# of Microbes (PFU)

What is the variable?

What is the constant?

Thermal death _________________?

Starting inoculum?

5
Name: _________________________________

Salmonella typhii is heated to 100 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes. The beginning inoculum was 20 CFU and
after ten minutes the bacteria decreased by half.

Carefully plot your data in the graph below and label all information clearly.
# of Microbes (CFU)

What is the variable?

What is the constant?

Thermal death _________________?

Starting inoculum?

6
Name: _________________________________

Clostridium difficile was heated at 15 degree increments until reaching 105 degrees Celsius. At each
temperature the bacteria was heated for 10 minutes. At 15 degrees Celsius there were 125 CFU, if 25 CFU die
off at each temperature when will there be 0 CFU?

Carefully plot your data in the graph below and label all information clearly.
# of Microbes (CFU)

What is the variable?

What is the constant?

Thermal death _________________?

Starting inoculum?

7
Name: _________________________________

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is heated at 80 degrees Celsius and checked every 2 minutes for a total of 10 minutes.
No bacteria was found at 8 minutes and each time the bacteria was checked there was 1/2 the amount of the
bacteria than when previously checked

Carefully plot your data in the graph below and label all information clearly.
# of Microbes (CFU)

What is the variable?

What is the constant?

Thermal death _________________?

Starting inoculum?

8
Name: _________________________________

Francisella tularensis is subjected to heat at 80 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes where 100 CFU was present and
then the temperature is decreased by 10 degrees every 10 minutes. Samples were taken at each 10 minute
interval and half of the bacteria died at each interval. If this pattern continues at when will all of the bacteria be
sterilized?

Carefully plot your data in the graph below and label all information clearly.
# of Microbes (CFU)

What is the variable?

What is the constant?

Thermal death _________________?

Starting inoculum?