Kovac′s reagent is a biochemical reagent composed of n-Butanol, hydrochloric acid, and 4-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde. It is used for the detection of indole producing microorganisms. Tryptophan is abundant in trypticalle digested peptone. Some microorganisms can cleave tryptophan to give pyruvic acid, ammonia, and indole. Indole then reacts with 4-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde to form a dark red dye. As tryptophan also gives a color reaction with 4 dimethylaminobenzaldehyde, it must be separated from the indole. This is achieved by selectively extracting indole with butanol.
應用
Bactident™ Kovac′s Indole reagent is used for the detection of indole producing microorganisms in food and beverages, and environmental samples. This is suitable for the identification of E. coli.
Dehydrated culture media for cultivating Shigella come in granules that dissolve in water. Granulation of the media ensures homogenous distribution, which avoids clumping even in warm and humid conditions.
