Columbia Broth Base

Columbia Broth Base
Nutritive Enrichment Broth for Fastidious and Non-Fastidious Microorganisms

Catalog Number: AS-1181

Overview
Columbia Broth Base is a highly nutritious, general-purpose enrichment broth formulated for the cultivation, maintenance, and transport of fastidious and non-fastidious microorganisms from clinical, food, and environmental specimens. Developed as the liquid counterpart to Columbia Agar Base, it contains specialised Columbia peptone combined with yeast and beef extracts to provide essential amino acids, peptides, vitamins, carbohydrates, and trace minerals.

Corn starch serves as an energy reserve and helps neutralise inhibitory metabolic by-products, supporting rapid and uniform growth without excessive acidification. When supplemented with 5–10% defibrinated blood, Columbia Broth Base becomes an enriched broth suitable for organisms requiring additional growth factors such as hemin (X-factor). The medium is non-selective and typically produces uniform turbidity under aerobic or microaerophilic conditions at 35–37 °C.

Applications
• Enrichment of fastidious pathogens such as Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria gonorrhoeae from blood, CSF, and genital swabs
• Cultivation and maintenance of streptococci, staphylococci, and Enterobacteriaceae
• Support medium for antimicrobial susceptibility testing workflows
• Transport medium to maintain organism viability during specimen transit
• Base for selective enrichment broths when supplemented with antibiotics for food microbiology testing

Key Features & Benefits
• Rich peptone–yeast–beef extract formulation supports luxuriant growth
• Corn starch neutralises toxic metabolites and stabilises pH
• Suitable for mixed or contaminated inocula
• Versatile base for supplementation with blood or sera
• Compatible with aerobic, microaerophilic, and CO₂-enriched incubation
• Clear to light amber appearance allows easy visual assessment of turbidity

Principle of the Medium
Columbia Broth Base provides a balanced nutrient environment that supports rapid bacterial growth while minimising inhibitory effects of metabolic by-products. The combination of refined meat digests and yeast extract supplies nitrogen, vitamins, and growth factors, while corn starch acts as a buffering energy source. Optional blood supplementation enhances recovery of fastidious organisms requiring additional growth factors.

Typical Composition (per litre)
Pancreatic Digest of Casein – 12.0 g
Peptic Digest of Animal Tissue – 5.0 g
Yeast Extract – 3.0 g
Beef Extract – 3.0 g
Corn Starch – 1.0 g
Sodium Chloride – 5.0 g

Optional supplement:
Defibrinated Sheep Blood – 50.0 mL (5%)

Final pH: 7.3 ± 0.2 at 25 °C

Preparation
Suspend 29.0 g of dehydrated medium in 1 L of purified or distilled water.
Heat with gentle agitation to boiling until completely dissolved; do not overheat to avoid starch gelatinisation.
Sterilise by autoclaving at 121 °C (15 psi) for 15 minutes.
Cool to 45–50 °C in a water bath.
For enriched broth, aseptically add 50 mL sterile defibrinated sheep blood and mix gently.
Dispense into sterile tubes, bottles, or flasks as required.

The prepared broth should appear clear to light amber and free of precipitates.

Incubation
Inoculate aseptically and incubate at 35–37 °C.
Incubate aerobically or in 5% CO₂ as required by the target organism.
Visible turbidity is typically observed within 18–24 hours.

Storage & Stability
Dehydrated medium: Store at 10–30 °C in a tightly closed container, protected from moisture and light
Prepared broth: Store at 2–8 °C in sealed containers and use within 2–4 weeks
Discard if turbid without inoculation, contaminated, or if pH deviates

Intended Use
For laboratory research and microbiological quality control use only.
Not for human or veterinary consumption.
Not for diagnostic use without appropriate validation.

Quality & Compliance
Manufactured under controlled conditions to ensure batch-to-batch consistency.
Suitable for clinical, food, and environmental microbiology applications.
Performance comparable to leading international enrichment broth formulations.

Customs & Trade Information
HS / AHECC Code: 3821.00.00
Prepared culture media for the development or maintenance of microorganisms