High grade Simmons Citrate Agar is supplied by Micromaster. It is available in the form of a cream to yellow homogenous free flowing powder with a pH in the range of 6.6 to 7.0. This product should be stored between 10-30C in a tightly closed container. Once opened, it should be properly stored, after tightly capping the bottle. Due to the hygroscopic nature of the product, there could be chances of lump formation which can be avoided by proper storage. Store in dry ventilated area protected from extremes of temperature and sources of ignition.

• Quantity provided: 500 g/pack

Simmons Citrate Agar is recommended for differentiation the members of Enterobacteriaceae from clinical and non-clinical samples, on the basis of citrate utilization. Initially the citrate medium was developed by Koser which contained ammonium salt as the only nitrogen source and citrate as the only carbon source for differentiating Escherichia coli and Enterobacter aerogenes using IMViC tests. Later Simmons modified Kosers formulation by adding agar and bromo thymol blue. It is recommended by APHA. Ammonium dihydrogen phosphate and sodium citrate serve as the sole nitrogen and carbon source respectively. Microorganisms also use inorganic ammonium salts as their sole nitrogen source. Metabolism of these salts causes the medium to become alkaline, indicated by a change in colour of the pH indicator from green to blue. Bromothymol blue is the pH indicator. The medium should be freshly prepared because in dry conditions, changes in colour may appear even before inoculation, especially at the bottom of the slant.