Chemotaxonomic Features in the Bifidobacteriaceae Family

Chemotaxonomy studies the chemical variation in microbial cells and the use of chemical characteristics in the classification and identification of bacteria; it can be very helpful in the modern approach of bacterial polyphasic taxonomy. For some groups it is one of the most important taxonomic criteria for identification (e.g., Sphingomonas sp.; Busse et al., 1999) while for others, such as Bifidobacteriaceae, it is important but not sufficient for strain identification. It has been recommended in the Bifidobacteriaceae Minimal Standard guidelines for the description of new species (Mattarelli et al., 2014). Chemotaxonomic markers applied in polyphasic approach of Bifidobacteriaceae are here described singularly.