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60983

Kovac′s reagent for indoles

suitable for microbiology

Synonym(s):

4-(Dimethylamino)benzaldehyde solution, Indole reagent according to Kovac

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About This Item

Empirical Formula (Hill Notation):
C9H11NO
CAS Number:
100-10-7
Molecular Weight:
149.19
UNSPSC Code:
41171621
NACRES:
NA.85
PubChem Substance ID:
329759335
MDL number:
MFCD00003381
Beilstein/REAXYS Number:
4132845
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shelf life

limited shelf life, expiry date on the label

Quality Level

100

composition

n-butanol , 4-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde , hydrochloric acid

technique(s)

microbe id | specific enzyme detection: suitable

refractive index

n20/D 1.400-1.420

application(s)

agriculture
clinical testing
environmental
food and beverages, microbiology

storage temp.

2-8°C

suitability

Escherichia coli, coliforms

SMILES string

[H]C(=O)c1ccc(cc1)N(C)C

InChI

1S/C9H11NO/c1-10(2)9-5-3-8(7-11)4-6-9/h3-7H,1-2H3

InChI key

BGNGWHSBYQYVRX-UHFFFAOYSA-N

General description

Kovac′s reagent for indoles is a solution of 4-(dimethylamino)benzaldehyde and hydrochloric acid in n-butanol.

Application

Kovac′s reagent for indoles has been used for enumerating E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef samples in different scenarios of stored, thawed, and as cooked patty samples. It has also been used for E coli enumeration in dewatered blackwater.

Biochem/physiol Actions

Kovac′s reagent detects the indole and aids in identifying the indole-positive and indole-negative microorganisms. E. coli can split tryptophan into indole and α-aminopropionic acid in the presence of the enzyme tryptophanase. p-Aminobenzaldehyde present in the reagent reacts with indole to form a cherry-red complex, that is soluble in alcohol, ether, and chloroform. It is recommended to use glucose free media and peptone with a high tryptophan content for the test.

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Danger

Hazard Classifications

Acute Tox. 4 Oral - Eye Dam. 1 - Flam. Liq. 3 - Met. Corr. 1 - Skin Irrit. 2 - STOT SE 3

target_organs

Central nervous system, Respiratory system

Storage Class

3 - Flammable liquids

wgk

WGK 1

flash_point_f

96.8 °F

flash_point_c

36 °C

ppe

Faceshields, Gloves, Goggles, type ABEK (EN14387) respirator filter

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Certificates of Analysis (COA)

Lot/Batch Number
BCCP6053
BCCN3398
BCCL0925
BCCK8015
BCCM2245

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Related Content

G L Lombard et al.
Journal of clinical microbiology, 18(3), 609-613 (1983-09-01)
Three reagents for detecting indole, Kovac, Ehrlich, and p-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde (DMCA), were evaluated with commercial microtest systems for characterizing and identifying anaerobic bacteria. The DMCA reagent, the most sensitive of the three reagents, gave a positive reaction with 445 of 449
Stavros G Manios et al.
Meat science, 101, 25-32 (2014-12-03)
The effect of common handling practices (i.e., freezing, thawing and cooking) of beef patties on the survival of Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli O157:H7, was evaluated. Inoculated ground beef was stored at -22 °C for 5 and 75 days. After
Ragnhildur Gunnarsdóttir et al.
Environmental science & technology, 46(22), 12408-12416 (2012-11-02)
Wastewater treatment in many Arctic regions is inadequate, even nonexisting. Natural freezing of wastewater in those areas may be beneficial for reduction of microorganisms. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of long-term freezing, and repeated freezing
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