Open AccessA potential substitute for 1‐naphthol in the Voges‐Proskauer test
Author(s) -
Yeoman Peter,
James Arthur L.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1987.tb02286.x
Subject(s) - acetoin , 1 naphthol , anthrone , chemistry , chromatography , organic chemistry , fermentation
In an attempt to find an alternative to 1‐naphthol for use in the Voges‐Proskauer (VP) test, a number of aromatic or heterocyclic compounds have been examined. Of these, anthrone tautomeric with 9‐anthranol proved to be of considerable interest. When employed in place of 1‐naphthol in the Barritt modification, intense blue‐green colorations were exhibited by VP‐positive enterobacteriaceae. A similar result was obtained using dilute solutions of acetoin. VP‐negative organisms yielded a yellow colour due to the alkaline anthrone. The use of pyruvate further improved the sensitivity and discrimination of the test.