Buffered Peptone Water

Buffered Peptone Water is used for pre-enriching damaged Salmonella spp. from various food sources. Edel and Kampelmacher noted that food preservation techniques such as heat, desiccation, high osmotic pressures, or pH changes can cause sub-lethal injury to Salmonella microorganisms. Pre-enrichment with Buffered Peptone Water allows for the repair of cell damage by maintaining a high pH over the pre-enrichment period due to the presence of Mono- and Disodium Phosphate. The high pH capacity is especially useful for vegetable samples, which have a low buffering capacity.