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As a simple and rapid method for the identification of genus Bifidobacterium from the intestinal bacteria of Koreans, thin layer chromatographic (TLC) determination of short chain fatty acid metabolites in the culture broth of bacterial strain is described in this paper. This method using acetone, water, chloroform, ethanol, and ammonium water requires less than 25 min for satisfactory development of the chromatogram. When the chromatogram was sprayed with indicator solution (methyl redbromophenol blue in 70% ethanol), the chromatogram of lactic acid appeared as orange and red spots, acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid as a blue spot, succnic acid as orange, and citric acid as yellow, respectively. Also, these organic acids show different R_f values. The total time used for analysis of organic acids in bacterial culture broth by this method takes approximately 50 min. The fifteen bacterial strains presumed as Bifidobacterium genus were isolated from 30 human feces, and analyzed for the organic acids in the culture broth of the bacterial strain by the TLC method. With their organic acid forming pattern, 14 bacterial strains were detected as bifidobacteria. This result corresponds with the result of the F6PPK test and carbohydrate fermentation pattern. Therefore, it is thought that the TLC method can be a rapid and useful tool for the identification of Bifidobacterium strains at the genus level.
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