Review Article
Viable but Nonculturable Bacteria: Food Safety and Public Health Perspective
Table 1
Fluorescent dyes used for detection of VBNC bacteria.
| Dye | Mechanism | Reaction |
| Acridine orange | The staining response depends on the ratio of DNA to protein in the cells | Actively reproducing cells appear green but slow-growing or nonreproducing cells at time of staining appear orange |
| Di-amino-phenyl-indole (DAPI) | Differential staining | Living cells look green under fluorescent microscope |
| Indophenyl-nitrophenyl-phenyl tetrazolium chloride (INT) | INT reacts with dehydrogenase enzyme to produce formazone and red color, thus living cells appear red | Living cells appear red. |
| Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) | Enzyme activity in living cell | FITC stains living cells violet or blue |
|
|