SODIUM CHOLATE (Cholic Acid Sodium) (A Selective Inhibitory Agent Used in Culture Media)

Sodium Cholate is a selective microbiological additive and is used in culture media formulations for selective inhibition of unwanted microorganisms. Being a naturally occurring bile salt, it has detergent characteristics to selectively allow specific desired organisms in mixed cultures to thrive and be isolated. These applications make Sodium Cholate essential in diagnostic, water, food, pharma, and research microbiology laboratories.
Sodium Cholate in the selective media acts on the integrity of cell membranes and affects certain metabolic processes in susceptible microorganisms. Its inhibitory effect contributes to suppressing competing flora, thereby enhancing recovery and detection of target bacterial species. This agent is particularly useful in media for the differentiation of enteric and other bile-tolerant organisms which survive in the presence of inhibitors to the more sensitive organism.
Apart from being a selective agent, sodium cholate also enhances the quality and performance of the bacteriological media by promoting the growth of well-defined microbial populations. Its reliability as an inhibitor also makes it a valuable raw material for the production of specialised microbiological formulations where microorganisms need to be reliably isolated, enumerated and identified. As a result, it remains a commonly used ingredient in modern microbiological culture media development.

Bile salt ingredient used to enhance media selectivity by suppressing unwanted microbial growth.