Colitag™ Water Test System for Total Coliform and E. coli
Safe Water Starts with a Simple Test – Reliable Detection in Just 16 Hours
Communities around the world rely on Colitag to ensure clean, safe water.
Colitag is an EPA-approved method for detecting total coliforms and E. coli in water, delivering compliant results in as little as 16 hours with Presence/Absence (P/A) and Most Probable Number (MPN) formats. Now available with MPNTray, Colitag offers water testing labs a high-quality, cost-effective, and reliable choice—backed by Neogen’s trusted support.
Why Choose Colitag?
Reliable E.coli Detection
- Detects as low as 1 CFU of total coliform or E. coli in a 100 mL water sample
- Supports both qualitative Presence/Absence (P/A) and quantitative Most Probable Number (MPN) methods
Simple and Flexible Workflow
- Ready-to-use format: no media preparation or additional confirmation steps required
- Flexible results window: Get results in as few as 16 hours, valid up to 48 hours
- Long shelf-life
Clear, Visual Results
- Total coliform presence confirmed by yellow color
- E. coli presence confirmed by yellow color and blue fluorescence under UV light, ensuring easy interpretation and reducing false positives
Industries We Serve
Colitag is designed for versatility, making it ideal for use across municipal water systems, commercial laboratories, food and beverage manufacturers, agriculture, and environmental monitoring.
Municipal Water Systems
Commercial Laboratories
Food & Beverage Manufacturers
Agriculture
How Does Colitag Work?
Colitag is a dehydrated culture media that uses a dual-enzyme substrate (ONPG and MUG) to detect total coliform and E. coli. If the sample turns yellow, total coliforms are present. If the sample turns yellow and fluoresces, E. coli are present.
The diagram below demonstrates the enzyme detection mechanism:
Results Interpretation
| Target Organism | Enzyme Detected | Substrate Used | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total coliform | β-galactosidase | ONPG (ortho-nitrophenyl-β-D-galactopyranoside) | Yellow color |
| E. coli | β-glucuronidase | MUG (4-methylumbelliferyl-β-D-glucuronide) | Yellow color and blue fluorescence under UV |
Watch How Colitag Works
Testing water for total coliforms and E. coli is simple with Colitag. In this short video, we’ll show you how Colitag works in three easy steps.
How It Works:
- Add Colitag media to your sample.
- Incubate the sample.
- Read results.
Why It Matters:
This simple, step-by-step process delivers clear, dependable results for water quality testing.
Regulatory Compliance You Can Trust
- EPA approved for determination of total coliforms and E. coli in drinking water at 40 CFR 141.852(a)(5)
- EPA approved for determining E. coli under the Ground Water Rule
- FDA approved for dairy source waters
- FDA inclusion for agricultural water
