Difference Between Enriched Media and Enrichment Media

Difference Between Enriched Media and Enrichment Media

 

Enriched media contain the nutrients required to support the growth of a wide variety of organisms, including some fastidious ones. They are commonly used to grow as many different types of microbes as are present in the specimen

 Definition

Enriched media refers to the media which contain the nutrients required to support the growth of a wide variety of organisms, including some fastidious ones, while enrichment media refers to the liquid media that inhibits the growth of the unwanted bacteria.

 

Type of Growth

Enriched media allow the growth of a wide variety of microorganisms,while enrichment media allow the growth of a particular type of microorganism in the medium. Thus, this is the main difference between enriched media and enrichment media.

 

Solid or Liquid

Apart from that, an important difference between enriched media and enrichment media is that enriched media are solid media as they are agar-based while enrichment media are liquid media.

 

Composition

Moreover, enriched media contain extra nutrients in the form of egg yolk, blood, serum, etc. in addition to the basal medium while enrichment media contain added antibiotics, dyes, chemicals or altered pH. Hence, this is also a difference between enriched media and enrichment media.

 

Purpose

The purpose of each is another important difference between enriched media and enrichment media. That is; the enriched media facilitate the growth of fastidious microorganisms while the enrichment media inhibit the growth of unwanted commensal or contaminating bacteria.

 

Examples

Some examples of enriched media are blood agar, chocolate agar, Loeffler’s serum, etc. while Selenite F broth, tetrathionate broth, alkaline peptone water (APW), etc. are the examples of enrichment media.

 

Conclusion

Enriched media are a type of agar-based media which allow the growth of a wide variety of microorganisms including fastidious organisms. Generally, enriched media are solid media. In contrast, enrichment media are liquid media, which inhibit the growth of unwanted microorganisms in the media. Therefore, the main difference between enriched media and enrichment media is the type of microorganisms.

 

Explanation

Enriched media contain the nutrients required to support the growth of a wide variety of organisms, including some fastidious ones.

They are commonly used to grow as many different types of microbes as are present in the specimen.