McClung Toabe Agar is used for detection and isolation of Clostridium perfringens from food samples.

• Peptone provide nitrogenous growth nutrients
• Dextrose is a fermentable carbohydrate
• Phosphates form a good buffering system
• Sodium chloride provides essential ions
• Magnesium sulphate provides divalent cations and sulphate

With the addition of 50% egg yolk emulsion, C. perfringens and a few other Clostridium species show the lecithinase reaction. Lecithinase enzyme lyses egg yolk lecithin, producing an opaque zone of precipitation surrounding the slightly raised colonies.