A very nutritious isotonic general-purpose medium with a low concentration of Glucose to stimulate early growth, Brain Heart Infusion Broth is suitable for the isolation of most micro-organisms including many fastidious organisms and, with enrichment as appropriate, is suitable as a base for blood culture medium. A phosphate buffer is incorporated to help neutralise any acids produced as a result of Glucose utilisation and thus maintain viability of the organisms. This particular formulation also has added Glycerol to act as cryopreservative if the medium is used for the long term frozen storage of microorganisms.

NB: Organisms that produce large amounts of acid in the medium may overwhelm the buffering system and as a result ‘auto-sterilise’ the culture.