Gas chromatographic comparison of peptone yeast glucose and gas liquid chromatography growth media for anaerobic bacteria.

The growth media peptone yeast extract glucose broth and gas liquid chromatography broth were compared with respect to their suitability for anaerobic bacteria, using 63 strains belonging to 12 species. After incubation for 24 and 48 h the broth cultures were subjected to viable counts and gas chromatographic analysis of short-chain alcohols and fatty acids in head-space vapours and ether extracts. Head-space analysis was superior to the ether extraction method for detecting the rapidly eluting short-chain alcohols. The gas liquid chromatography medium provided superior growth and contained fewer compounds that interfered with the chromatographic analyses. Whereas incubation in gas liquid chromatography medium for 24 h gave characteristic chromatograms for all but one of the studied species, most species required 48 h of incubation in peptone yeast extract glucose medium. Gas liquid chromatography broth is the preferred substrate for use in gas chromatographic identification of anaerobic bacteria.