Please tell me if I'm being overly simplistic here. I was
reading the book yeast by Chris White and Jamil Zainasheff. In
the book, they talk about measuring how many cells are in a
slurry by using a microscope or by dilution until the slurry is
clear in a test tube. However, they also mention that the size
and weight (density) of a yeast cell is known, the density of
water is also known. So couldn't one take a yeast slurry,
measure its weight and volume and use this measure of density to
determine what percentage of the mass is composed of yeast, and
what percentage is composed of water? Clearly, since wort is
more dense than distilled water, you may have to wash the slurry
first. But this seems much simpler than whipping out a
microscope or doing multiple dilutions. Should this work? Note:
I'm talking about measuring the number of yeast cells in a
slurry, not their viability or vitality.