Violet Red Bile Agar with MUG is used for the detection of coliforms and the fluorogenic detection of Escherichia coli. Violet Red Bile Agar with MUG is not intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions in humans.

Violet Red Bile Agar W/ MUG is specified in many procedures to enumerate coliforms in food and dairy products. In 1982, Feng and Hartman developed a rapid fluorogenic assay for Escherichia coli by incorporating 4-methylumbelliferyl-β-D-glucuronide (MUG) into Lauryl Tryptose Broth. Similarly, incorporating MUG into Violet Red Bile Agar permits the detection of E. coli among the coliform colonies. Standard methods procedures specify Violet Red Bile Agar with MUG for detecting E. coli in food and dairy products by fluorescence. This medium is often abbreviated as VRBA w/ MUG.