Cultivation of Bifidobacteria

Testing for Bifidobacteria with Granulated Culture Media

MilliporeSigma offers media for the reliable enumeration of Bifidobacteria in yogurt and other milk-based products – even in the presence of a high titer of accompanying flora. The included galactooligosaccharide mixture TOS-S ensures excellent growth performance of the Bifidobacteria, while lactic acid bacteria are suppressed by Lithium Mupirocin (MUP), which does not inhibit Bifidobacteria.

The Probiotic Properties of Bifidobacteria

Bifidobacteria and lactic acid Bacteria (LAB) are the most common types of microbes used by the food and beverages industries as probiotics. Probiotics are living microorganisms for human consumption. They are believed to have health-promoting properties by, for instance, contributing to good digestion. Probiotics are typically consumed as part of fermented foods, such as yogurt, with added live cultures. Bifidobacteria are gram-positive, anaerobic bacteria that inhabit the human gastrointestinal tract and make up an important part of the gut flora. Different species or strains of Bifidobacteria are believed to have the following (and other) positive health effects:

• Aid in digestion
• Prevention of tumor growth
• Inhibition of pathogenic microorganisms
• Modulation of immune responses (thereby preventing allergies)
• Production of vitamins

Important Species of Bifidobacteria

• Bifidobacterium adolescentis
• Bifidobacterium animalis subspecies animalis
• Bifidobacterium bifidum
• Bifidobacterium breve
• Bifidobacterium infantis
• Bifidobacterium longum