What test is performed to check the capability of an organism to utilize sodium malonate?

The malonate test is specifically designed to assess an organism’s ability to utilize sodium malonate as a sole carbon source. In this test, an organism is inoculated into a medium containing sodium malonate. If the organism can utilize sodium malonate, it will metabolize it, leading to a change in pH as a result of acid or alkaline byproducts. This change can often be indicated by the color change of a pH indicator within the medium, allowing for straightforward observation of the organism’s metabolic capability.

While the citrate test also evaluates the ability of an organism to utilize carbon sources (in this case, citrate), it specifically checks for the utilization of citrate rather than malonate. The urease test focuses on the ability to hydrolyze urea to ammonia and carbon dioxide, which differs fundamentally from the malonate test. Lastly, the fermentation test assesses the ability to ferment specific carbohydrates, which is unrelated to sodium malonate utilization. Therefore, the malonate test is the most appropriate method to determine the capability of an organism to utilize sodium malonate.