Beef Heart Infusion Agar - BioReagent

Cat. No.: B1528645

GRADE & PURITY BioReagent

Storage

Room temperature

Shipped In

Normal

Übersicht

For preparation of sheep blood agar plates

Specifications

Spezifikationen & Reinheit

BioReagent

Storage

Room temperature

Verschickt in

Normal

Note

BioReagent

Product Line

Biologische Produkte

Application Protocols

Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet. No tested application details (e.g., specific organisms, incubation parameters, supplement recipes) are provided in the Product Data. Follow your laboratory’s validated microbiology SOPs for medium preparation, sterilization, plating, incubation, and QC growth promotion testing.

Biological Roles

• Nature of product: Nutrient matrix enabling microbial growth; not a single biomolecule with a defined physiological role.
• Functional components (literature/general):
  • Beef heart infusion supplies amino acids, peptides, vitamins, nucleotides, and minerals that mimic complex nutrient environments required by fastidious bacteria.
  • Agar provides a non-metabolizable, inert gel matrix that maintains moisture and permits diffusion of nutrients and metabolic byproducts while enabling discrete colony formation on the surface.
• Use contexts (literature/general):
  • Isolation and maintenance of bacteria from environmental, food, or research samples.
  • Assessment of colony morphology and, when appropriately supplemented (e.g., with defibrinated blood), evaluation of hemolytic activity.
• Notes: As a complex, undefined mixture, batch-to-batch variation is managed by quality systems, but users should verify fitness for purpose with control strains per internal SOPs.

Buffer Applications

This product is not a buffering reagent and is not typically used to prepare analytical buffer systems. If a defined buffer is required for a microbiological assay, prepare it separately (e.g., phosphate-buffered saline) and use in conjunction with culture media as dictated by your protocol (literature/general).

Green Alternatives

While “green alternatives” typically pertain to reaction solvents/chemicals, sustainability considerations also apply to culture media.

• Animal-free options (literature/general): Plant- or yeast‑derived peptones and infusions can reduce reliance on animal tissues. Consider “vegetable peptone” or synthetic/defined media when compatible with organism requirements.
• Waste minimization: Prepare only volumes needed; plate just-in-time to reduce discarded expired plates. Use refillable glassware where feasible and validate shorter autoclave cycles compatible with sterility assurance to cut energy use.
• Energy/water efficiency: Utilize energy‑efficient autoclaves, recover heat where possible, and optimize batch sizes to reduce per‑plate footprint.
• Comparative considerations (literature/general):
  • Animal-based infusions: Broad growth support; higher sourcing impact and batch variability.
  • Defined/semidefined media: Lower variability, animal‑free, often higher cost and may not support the most fastidious organisms without optimization.
• Packaging: Choose larger pack sizes when it does not risk exceeding shelf life, to reduce packaging waste. Consult CoA/Spec Sheet for shelf-life guidance (item-specific not specified).

Pharmaceutical Uses

No therapeutic or clinical applications are claimed. For research use only (from Product Data).

• Role in pharmaceutical/biotech labs (literature/general):
  • Employed in quality control microbiology for growth promotion testing, environmental monitoring (when poured as plates), and bioburden assessments where a rich, non-selective solid medium is appropriate.
  • Used to maintain reference strains and to pre-culture organisms prior to identification or antimicrobial susceptibility workflows (media supplements and validations per SOPs).
• Compliance considerations: Specific compendial methods may prescribe particular media formulations and performance criteria; verify that this product and lot meet your method requirements via CoA and in-house qualification. Item-specific pharmacopeial status is Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.

Physical Properties

• Appearance: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Solubility in water: Qualitatively water‑dispersible; agar dissolves upon heating to near-boiling and gels upon cooling (literature/general). Item-specific solubility not specified.
• pH (prepared medium): Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet. (Typical prepared media have a defined pH range per formulation—literature/general—but do not use as specification.)
• Melting/gelation: Agar forms a thermo-reversible gel; typical gelation on cooling below ~40–45 °C and melting above ~80–90 °C (literature/general). Item-specific gel strength and temperatures not specified.
• Density, refractive index, particle size: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Hygroscopicity: Dehydrated media are generally moisture-sensitive; protect from humidity to preserve performance (literature/general).

Quality and Grades

• Grade: BioReagent (from Product Data). This denotes suitability for biological research workflows, emphasizing low bioburden as supplied, consistent performance in bioassays, and careful raw‑material control. It does not imply sterility; sterilization after reconstitution is required for aseptic applications.
• Lot-to-lot consistency (literature/general): Complex media rely on controlled sourcing and blending to minimize variability in nutrient profile (e.g., peptides, minerals, growth factors) that can impact growth characteristics and colony morphology.
• Animal-derived content: Beef heart infusion is of animal origin. Institutions may require documentation of sourcing and transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE)/bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) risk mitigation—obtain relevant statements from the CoA/Spec Sheet if needed.
• Stabilizers/antimicrobials: None are implied or specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• UV absorbance/trace contaminants, ash, gel strength: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Practical implications:
  • Prepare using high‑purity water and sterilize (e.g., autoclave) to realize the intended performance.
  • Validate medium performance with appropriate positive/negative control strains as per your lab’s QC SOPs (literature/general).

Reaction and Applications

This is a culture medium rather than a chemical reagent for synthetic reactions. Its primary applications are microbiological.

• Microbiological applications (literature/general):
  • Solid medium supporting growth of a broad range of heterotrophic bacteria, with enhanced nutrients from beef heart infusion to support more fastidious organisms (e.g., some streptococci and other nutritionally demanding species).
  • Suitable for isolation, maintenance, and enumeration where a nutritionally rich, non-selective surface is desired. Can be supplemented (e.g., with blood, antibiotics) to tailor selectivity, per lab SOPs.
  • Useful for colony morphology assessment, hemolysis studies when supplemented with blood, and general propagation prior to downstream testing.
• Practical tips (literature/general):
  • Dissolve powder in purified water with heating; sterilize via autoclaving. Cool to ~45–50 °C before pouring plates to minimize condensation and prevent thermal shock to heat-labile supplements added aseptically.
  • Avoid overcooking agar (prolonged high heat) which can caramelize carbohydrates and alter performance.
  • Perform growth promotion testing with appropriate control strains to qualify each lot/batch in regulated workflows.

Reaction Conditions

Not applicable to chemical reactions. For microbiological preparation in general (literature/general, not item-specific specifications):

• Reconstitution: Disperse medium in purified water with heating until fully dissolved; adjust volume as required by your SOP.
• Sterilization: Autoclave using validated time/temperature parameters (e.g., gravity or liquid cycles per lab SOP). Avoid overheating to prevent media degradation.
• Plate pouring: Cool to ~45–50 °C before aseptic addition of heat‑labile supplements and dispensing into plates. Allow plates to solidify and dry to desired surface moisture before use. Item-specific preparation instructions, amounts, and sterilization parameters are Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet and SDS.

Safety and Handling

• GHS classification, pictograms, signal word, and H-statements: Not specified for this item; refer to the product SDS for authoritative hazard information.
• General hazards (literature/general):
  • Dehydrated culture media may cause irritation by inhalation of dust and by contact with eyes/skin. Avoid creating dust clouds.
  • Animal-derived components may be allergenic for sensitized individuals; handle with care.
  • After inoculation/use, all media and plates must be treated as biohazardous and autoclaved before disposal.
• PPE recommendations (standard lab practice): safety glasses, lab coat, and appropriate gloves; use dust mask/respirator if dust generation is unavoidable. Work in a clean environment to prevent contamination.
• Incompatibilities (literature/general): strong oxidizers; avoid moisture uptake that can cause clumping and performance loss. Do not mix with disinfectants or antimicrobial agents unless formulation specifically requires it.
• First aid (overview; defer to SDS):
  • Inhalation: move to fresh air; seek medical advice if symptoms persist.
  • Skin: wash with soap and water.
  • Eyes: rinse cautiously with water for several minutes; remove contact lenses if present and easy to do.
  • Ingestion: rinse mouth; seek medical advice if unwell.
• Fire safety: Many organic powders are combustible; keep away from ignition sources. Use water spray, CO2, dry chemical, or foam as appropriate (literature/general). Always consult the SDS.

Solvent Selection

This product is a dehydrated microbiological medium, not used as a reaction solvent.

• Reconstitution vehicle: Use purified/deionized water per laboratory SOPs (general practice). Dissolution typically requires heating to near boiling to solubilize agar; cool to form gels (literature/general). Item-specific preparation volumes/concentrations are Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Compatibility: Avoid hard/untreated water and residual disinfectants that can inhibit microbial growth (literature/general).
• Alternatives: For liquid culture without solidification, use the corresponding broth formulation (agar-free) if applicable (literature/general).

Storage and Reconstitution

• Storage conditions (as supplied, dehydrated): Room temperature (from Product Data). Protect from humidity and direct sunlight. Keep container tightly closed to prevent moisture uptake and caking (literature/general).
• Shipping: Normal (from Product Data).
• Shelf life: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Reconstitution/preparation: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet. General practice (literature/general) is to dissolve in purified water with heating, sterilize by autoclaving, then cool before pouring plates or using as molten agar.
• Freeze–thaw guidance: Not applicable to dehydrated powder. Avoid freezing prepared agar plates unless validated, as freeze–thaw can fracture gels and impair performance (literature/general).
• Post-preparation storage (general): Store poured plates inverted in sealed sleeves at refrigerated temperatures as validated by your SOP; monitor for dehydration/contamination. Item-specific conditions are not provided here.

Structure and Identity

• Item type: Complex, undefined mixture (dehydrated microbiological growth medium derived from beef heart infusion with additional nutrients and agar). Not a single molecular entity.
• Molecular formula: Not applicable to a complex medium (Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.)
• Molecular weight: Not applicable to a complex medium (Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.)
• SMILES / InChI / InChIKey: Not applicable to complex mixtures (Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.)
• Structural features (descriptive):
  • Contains undefined mixtures of amino acids/peptides, carbohydrates, minerals, and growth factors from beef heart infusion (literature/general).
  • Agar is a high–molecular weight polysaccharide gelling agent (agarose + agaropectin) providing a solid surface (literature/general).
  • No discrete 2D molecular structure can represent this product due to compositional complexity.
• Category: Life Science reagent; dehydrated culture medium component for microbiology (from Product Data category).

Synthetic Utility

Not applicable. Beef Heart Infusion Agar is a microbiological growth medium, not a synthetic organic reagent or building block. For chemical synthesis guidance, refer instead to appropriate reagents and solvents.

Target Specificity

Not applicable. This product is not an antibody or affinity reagent and has no target specificity parameters (antigen, epitope, clone, isotype).