Bile Esculin Agar is recommended for isolation and presumptive identification of group D Streptococci from food and pharmaceutical products. Enterococci and Group D Streptococci hydrolyse esculin to esculetin and dextrose, which reacts with ferric citrate producing brownish black precipitate. Identification of enterococci and differentiation of Group D strptococci from non Group D can thus be performed using this agar medium.
