It is used for general cultivation of bacteria as well as for routine testing of antiseptics and disinfectants. It is also known as AATCC bacteriostasis agar where AATCC stands for American Association of Textile Chemists and Colourist. The medium is the formulation specified by Food and Drug Administration, U.S.A. and also by Association of Analytical Chemists (AOAC). It is used for detecting antibacterial activity of fabrics.