Saboruaud Dextrose agar contains soya lecithin and polysorbate 80 and is used for the cultivation of yeasts, moulds and aciduric bacteria.

• Modification of formulation described by Sabouraud for determining efficiency of sterilization of container
• Low pH favours fungal growth and inhibits contaminating bacteria from clinical specimens
• Presence and number of fungi is determined by the appearance of colonies on the agar surface

Sabouraud Dextrose Agar with Soya Lecithin and Polysorbate 80 is the modification of formulation described by Sabouraud for determining efficiency of sterilization of container etc. with respect to yeast moulds and aciduric bacteria. Mycological peptone provides nitrogenous compounds. Dextrose provides an energy source. The low pH favours fungal growth and inhibits contaminating bacteria from clinical specimens. Some pathogenic fungi may produce infective spores which are easily dispersed in air, so examination should be carried out in safety cabinet. Lecithin and polysorbate 80 are neutralizers reported to inactivate residual disinfectants from where the sample is collected. Lecithin neutralizes quartenery ammonium compounds and polysorbate 80 neutralizes phenolic disinfectants, hexachlorophene formalin, and with lecithin neutralizes ethanol. Collection of samples from areas before and after the treatment with disinfectant evaluates cleaning procedures in environmental sanitation. The presence and number of fungi is determined by the appearance of colonies on the agar surface.