Enumeration of bifidobacteria in dairy products

There is much interest in the potential role of bifidobacteria as dietary inclusions, but their isolation from dairy products, and subsequent identification, can cause problems. A range of selective and non‐selective media were examined, and modified Rogosa agar was found to give the best recovery from yogurt‐like products. A morphological examination of typical isolates suggested that only bifidobacteria had grown on the medium, but confirmation by means of biochemical tests proved inconclusive, and it seems that the genus/species definition merits further attention.