Selenite broth is used as a selective medium for the isolation of Salmonella

Salmonella

Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, predominantly motile enterobacteria with diameters around 0.7 to 1.5 µm, lengths from 2 to 5 µm, and flagella which grade in all directions . They are chemoorganotrophs, obtaining their energy from oxidation and reduction...

species. This medium

Growth medium

A growth medium or culture medium is a liquid or gel designed to support the growth of microorganisms or cells, or small plants like the moss Physcomitrella patens.There are different types of media for growing different types of cells....

 must not be autoclave

Autoclave

An autoclave is an instrument used to sterilize equipment and supplies by subjecting them to high pressure saturated steam at 121 °C for around 15–20 minutes depending on the size of the load and the contents. It was invented by Charles Chamberland in 1879, although a precursor known as the...

d. Once prepared it is steamed at 100°C for 30 minutes. There should be a very slight red precipitate. To minimise the risk of teratogenicity to workers, sodium selenite

Sodium selenite

Sodium selenite is a salt, a colourless solid, and the most common water-soluble selenium compound. It has the formulas Na2SeO3 and Na2SeO35 . Respectively, these are the anhydrous salt and its pentahydrate. This hydrated salt is the more common one...

 must be added separately to the medium. It has a pH

PH

In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...

 of approximately 7.1.

Selenite broth contains:

Peptone Peptide Peptides are short polymers of amino acid monomers linked by peptide bonds. They are distinguished from proteins on the basis of size, typically containing less than 50 monomer units. The shortest peptides are dipeptides, consisting of two amino acids joined by a single peptide bond...	5g/l
Mannitol Mannitol Mannitol is a white, crystalline organic compound with the formula . This polyol is used as an osmotic diuretic agent and a weak renal vasodilator...	4g/l
Di-sodium hydrogen phosphate	9.5g/l
Sodium di-hydrogen phosphate	10g/l
Sodium selenite Sodium selenite Sodium selenite is a salt, a colourless solid, and the most common water-soluble selenium compound. It has the formulas Na2SeO3 and Na2SeO35 . Respectively, these are the anhydrous salt and its pentahydrate. This hydrated salt is the more common one... (NaHSeO3)	4g/l