identifier: METPO:1005016
label: Voges-Proskauer test
definition: An assay that tests the ability of an organism to produce acetoin from
  glucose via the butanediol fermentation pathway.
trait_category: OTHER
term_kind: CLASS
mapping_status: SEEDED
parent_traits:
- METPO:1000059
curation_history:
- timestamp: '2026-09-12T21:15:14Z'
  curator: seed_from_metpo
  action: SEEDED_FROM_METPO
  changes: imported from data/raw/metpo.owl (CLASS)
- timestamp: '2026-09-12T21:15:44Z'
  curator: codex
  action: ENRICHED_FROM_LITERATURE
  changes: Added the METPO Voges-Proskauer-test assay parent with stable-URL butanediol-pathway
    and acetoin-readout evidence after a repository-wide duplicate review covering
    ignored and hidden files.
  llm_assisted: true
definition_source: https://asm.org/getmedia/40946f85-9357-4563-aa8a-994427efa825/Methyl-Red-and-Voges-Proskauer-Test-Protocols.pdf
evidence:
- reference: https://asm.org/getmedia/40946f85-9357-4563-aa8a-994427efa825/Methyl-Red-and-Voges-Proskauer-Test-Protocols.pdf
  snippet: Bacteria fermenting sugars via the butanediol pathway produce acetoin (i.e.,
    acetyl methyl carbinol or 3-hydroxybutanone) as an intermediate which can be further
    reduced to 2,3-butanediol.
  notes: The ASM protocol links acetoin production directly to sugar fermentation
    through the butanediol pathway.
- reference: https://asm.org/getmedia/40946f85-9357-4563-aa8a-994427efa825/Methyl-Red-and-Voges-Proskauer-Test-Protocols.pdf
  snippet: In the presence of KOH the intermediate acetoin is oxidized to diacetyl,
    a reaction which is catalyzed by a-naphthol (2). Diacetyl reacts with the guanidine
    group associated with molecules contributed by peptone in the medium, to form
    a pinkish-red-colored product (Fig. 2A).
  notes: The same protocol explains that the Voges-Proskauer reaction detects acetoin
    via Barritt chemistry that forms a pinkish-red product.