Table 1. Aerobic and anaerobic microbial plate counts.
Bacterial (aerobic and anaerobic), yeast, and mold plate counts were performed by Covance Laboratories (Covance Inc., Madison, WI). Plate counts are reported as colony forming units (CFU) per gram for each meal.
| Dietary pattern | Meal | Aerobic plate count |
Anaerobic plate count |
Yeast count | Mold count | Total microorganisms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average American | Breakfast | 2.15E+05 | 2.26E+05 | 5.66E+02 | 5.66E+03 | 4.48E+05 |
| Lunch | 2.23E+05 | 1.31E+04 | 1.31E+03 | 1.31E+03 | 2.38E+05 | |
| Snack | 1.87E+04 | 2.34E+03 | 2.34E+02 | 2.34E+02 | 2.15E+04 | |
| Dinner | 1.47E+05 | 5.35E+05 | 7.75E+02 | 7.75E+02 | 6.84E+05 | |
| Total | 6.04E+05 | 7.77E+05 | 2.88E+03 | 7.98E+03 | 1.39E+06 | |
| USDA recommended | Breakfast | 1.14E+04 | 5.72E+02 | 4.29E+04 | 1.49E+06 | 1.54E+06 |
| Snack #1 | 2.11E+05 | 5.42E+07 | 5.42E+02 | 1.19E+05 | 5.45E+07 | |
| Lunch | 3.25E+07 | 2.26E+06 | 1.06E+06 | 2.55E+06 | 3.84E+07 | |
| Snack #2 | 5.54E+08 | 6.09E+08 | 3.32E+04 | 1.39E+04 | 1.16E+09 | |
| Dinner | 3.49E+05 | 5.81E+04 | 9.69E+02 | 9.69E+03 | 4.17E+05 | |
| Total | 5.87E+08 | 6.66E+08 | 1.14E+06 | 4.18E+06 | 1.26E+09 | |
| Vegan | Breakfast | 3.38E+04 | 1.99E+04 | 3.98E+02 | 9.95E+03 | 6.41E+04 |
| Snack #1 | 1.97E+06 | 1.67E+06 | 5.41E+05 | 4.92E+05 | 4.67E+06 | |
| Lunch | 1.22E+05 | 2.34E+04 | 9.35E+02 | 9.35E+02 | 1.47E+05 | |
| Snack #2 | 9.81E+04 | 4.67E+03 | 3.50E+04 | 2.80E+05 | 4.18E+05 | |
| Dinner | 4.07E+05 | 1.45E+05 | 4.53E+02 | 9.05E+03 | 5.62E+05 | |
| Snack #3 | 1.43E+05 | 2.94E+03 | 8.40E+01 | 8.40E+01 | 1.46E+05 | |
| Total | 2.77E+06 | 1.87E+06 | 5.78E+05 | 7.92E+05 | 6.01E+06 |