LETHEEN AGAR W/ TRITON X-100

Weber and Black recommended the use of lecithin and polysorbates to neutralize the antimicrobial action of the quaternary ammonium compounds. In 1965, the methodology was accepted by AOAC for the antimicrobial assays and extended their use to all the cationic detergents. In 1978, the FDA incorporated it as pre-enrichment medium for every microbial examination of cosmetics. There are great chances of altering the chemical composition of cosmetics by the metabolism of organisms thereby spoiling and causing harm to the users. Direct colony counts and enrichment culturing are the methods of choice for isolating microorganisms from cosmetic products. The word Letheen represents a combination of lecithin and polysorbate (tween) 80.
Letheen Agar with Triton X-100 is recommended for luxuriant growth of most organisms for detection of yeast and moulds. Triton X-100 is non-ionic and disperses microorganisms making counting easier.

for screening cosmetic products for microbial contamination by adding Triton X-100