Container of AusaMics Esculin Iron Agar with red lid on a gray background

Esculin Iron Agar | Detection of Esculin Hydrolysis in Enterococci | AS‑1224

$145.00 AUD

AuSaMicS Life Science • Culture Media

Esculin Iron Agar

Differential Medium for Esculin Hydrolysis Confirmation

Esculin Iron Agar is a differential medium used to confirm organisms capable of hydrolysing esculin. When esculin is split to esculetin and dextrose, the esculetin reacts with the iron salt in the medium to produce a dark brown to black complex, giving a strong visual confirmation reaction.

AS-1224 Esculin Hydrolysis ✓ Blackening Reaction Water & Clinical Microbiology

🧪 Ferric ammonium citrate indicator system 🔬 Strong visual confirmation readout 💧 Useful in enterococcal verification workflows

🏆 Confirmation Medium

🦠 Confirms esculin-positive colonies

⚗️ Clear brown-black hydrolysis signal

📋 COA + SDS available

💧 Useful after selective membrane filtration workflows

🧫 Supports differential confirmation on solid medium

Key Readout

Brown to blackening around positive growth

🔬 Principle of the Medium

Esculin in the medium is hydrolysed by esculin-positive organisms to form esculetin and dextrose. Esculetin then reacts with ferric ammonium citrate to produce a dark brown to black complex around or beneath the colonies. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

In standard water microbiology use, Esculin Iron Agar is used alongside M-Enterococcus Agar, Modified, where the selective medium recovers presumptive colonies and Esculin Iron Agar serves as the verification step based on esculin hydrolysis. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

            Esculin

            ↓ hydrolysis

            Esculetin + dextrose

            ↓ + ferric ammonium citrate

            Brown-black iron phenolic complex

🧬 Applications

💧 Water Microbiology Verification

Widely used as a verification medium for presumptive enterococcal colonies recovered by membrane filtration methods in fresh and marine recreational water testing workflows.

🧫 Differential Confirmation

Suitable for confirmation of organisms capable of esculin hydrolysis through a rapid and easily visualised brown-black reaction on solid medium.

🏥 Enterococcal Workflows

Commonly positioned for confirmation of enterococci and related esculin-positive colonies after initial recovery on more selective media.

🔬 Research & Teaching Labs

Useful for demonstrating esculin hydrolysis reactions and for differentiation exercises in teaching, QC, and laboratory method development settings.

📊 Comparative Esculin Media Guide

Medium	Primary Role	Best Use	Key Advantage
Esculin Iron Agar	Differential confirmation medium	Visual confirmation of esculin hydrolysis	Clear brown-black iron reaction without bile selectivity
Bile Esculin Agar	Selective and differential medium	Group D streptococci / enterococci workflows	Adds bile-based selectivity plus esculin readout
Esculin Agar	Differential esculin hydrolysis medium	Broader cultivation and hydrolysis observation	Useful when bile selectivity is not desired
M-Enterococcus Agar, Modified	Selective recovery medium	Initial membrane filtration recovery	Pairs with Esculin Iron Agar for verification

💡 Practical Use Notes

Medium Type:
Differential agar medium

Key Indicator System:
Esculin + ferric ammonium citrate

Primary Readout:
Brown to black complex around positive colonies

Workflow Fit:
Confirmation after selective recovery or direct differential testing

📋 Technical Specifications

Product Name	Esculin Iron Agar
Catalog Number	AS-1224
Format	Dehydrated powder
Medium Type	Differential confirmation agar
Key Differentiating Components	Esculin and ferric ammonium citrate
Target Readout	Brown-black complex after esculin hydrolysis
Prepared Appearance	Light amber to beige agar
Storage	Store dry at 10–30°C in tightly closed container
HS Code	3821.00.00

🧫 Interpretation Guide

✓ Positive: dark brown to black zone or blackening
✓ Negative: no blackening reaction
✓ Often used to verify presumptive enterococcal colonies
✓ Best interpreted with the upstream isolation workflow in mind

✅ Quality Standards

✓ Reproducible indicator performance
✓ Clear differentiation reaction
✓ COA available per lot
✓ Suitable for institutional procurement

Related Esculin & Enterococcal Media

M-Enterococcus Agar, Modified

Selective recovery medium used before confirmation

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Bile Esculin Agar

Selective esculin medium with bile inhibition