I am not a micro person and these questions may be trivial. But if someone can clarify these, I will be grateful.
At the end of <61> it mentions that
When an acceptance criterion for microbiological quality is prescribed, it is interpreted as follows:
— 10^1 cfu: maximum acceptable count = 20;
— 10^2 cfu: maximum acceptable count = 200;
— 10^3 cfu: maximum acceptable count = 2000
If the criterion is 10^3 cfu, can the results be over 1000 cfu and still pass (up to 2000 cfu is acceptable?)
Is this meaning mean results should be NMT 10^3 cfu but individual result can be over 1000 but NMT 2000?
If the criterion is 1000 cfu, is this exactly the same as criterion being 10^3 cfu?
Thanks for helping.