Rapid Gas Chromatographic Analysis of Microbial Volatile Metabolites1

Abstract

A direct injection of various culture supernatants into a column of Porapak Q was investigated as a rapid and simple technique for gas chromatographic analysis of volatile metabolites produced by microorganisms. The usual metabolites such as methanol, ethanol, formic acid, 2-propanol (or acetone), 1-propanol, acetic acid, diacety1, 1-butanol, propionic acid, acetoin, butyric acid, 2, 3-butanediol and lactic acid were detected with-out any pretreatment. It was demonstrated that most strains of Bifidobacterium bifidum (Lactobacillus bifidus) produced both acetic acid and lactic acid which contrasts with re-sults from Escherichia coli and other Lactobacilli.