Table 2.

Comparing real-time PCR and digital PCR for probiotic enumeration.

	Real-time PCR	Digital PCR
Taxonomic resolution	Strain-specific or species-specific	Strain-specific or species-specific
Primer design	Required	Required
Robust validation	Required	Required
Multiplexing	Yes	Yes
Throughput	Up to 384-well	Up to 96-well
Calibration curve	Required	Not required
Inhibitors	Prone to inhibitors	High tolerance to inhibitors
Effect of PCR efficiency on results	Results are affected by PCR efficiency	Results are not affected by PCR efficiency
Real-time monitoring	Yes	No
Dynamic range	Broad dynamic range	Narrower dynamic range
Equipment and running costs	Economical	Less economical