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Glite Dictionary
esculin

esculin

1 8.8
A substance in some plants used in lab tests to identify bacteria
  • noun
  • /ˈɛskjʊlɪn/
  • Specialized
: esculina
  • Scientists use esculin to identify certain types of bacteria in laboratory tests.
  • esculin hydrolysis

Examples

  • The laboratory technician observed that the esculin in the sample changed color in the presence of Listeria.

  • All Fraser broth tubes that showed esculin hydrolysis (indicated by black color) were presumed positive for L. monocytogenes and were further confirmed by biochemical tests.

    Academic text (2005)

  • In her experiments, she found that esculin is effective in differentiating between bacterial species.

Surface Forms

esculin singular
esculins plural

Etymology

Esculin comes from the horse chestnut tree's old name Aesculus ('horse chestnut'), because the chemical was first found in that tree and the -in ending marks it as a substance. So, think of esculin as the 'chestnut' chemical — that helps remember it is a natural plant compound used in lab tests to identify certain bacteria.