Standard II Nutrient Agar - BioReagent

Cat. No.: S1528362

QUALITÄT & REINHEIT BioReagent

Storage

Room temperature

Shipped In

Normal

Übersicht

For cultivating non-spore-forming bacteria, and also for total bacterial count determination in dairy products

Spezifikationen

Spezifikationen & Reinheit

BioReagent

Storage

Room temperature

Verschickt in

Normal

Note

BioReagent

Product Line

Biologische Produkte

Application Protocols

No item-specific, validated protocols are provided in the Product Data. The following is general, literature-based guidance for plate preparation and use.

• Plate preparation (literature):
  1. Weigh dehydrated medium per your validated formulation (refer to label/CoA if provided).
  2. Suspend in purified water; heat with stirring to dissolve; autoclave at 121 °C for ~15 min.
  3. Cool to 50–55 °C; add sterile supplements if required; pour into sterile Petri dishes; allow to solidify; dry plates as needed.
• Streaking for isolation: Use sterile loop to streak inoculum across quadrants; incubate inverted plates at organism-appropriate temperature.
• Spread plating for enumeration: Plate 100 µL of appropriate dilutions; spread with a sterile spreader; incubate; count 30–300 CFU/plate.
• Pour plating: Mix inoculum with molten medium (~45–50 °C), pour, swirl gently; incubate.
• Storage of poured plates: Seal or bag to prevent desiccation; refrigerate (2–8 °C) if storing; assign shelf life per internal validation.

Note: Exact masses, lot-specific preparation notes, expected colony recovery, and GPT organisms are Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.

Biological Roles

This product functions as a growth-supporting environment for microbes rather than a biomolecule with intrinsic physiological roles.

Functional components (literature/general):

• Peptone/tryptone and meat/yeast extracts supply amino acids, peptides, nucleotides, vitamins, and trace elements to support heterotrophic bacterial growth.
• Sodium chloride (commonly present) helps maintain osmotic balance for a broad spectrum of bacteria.
• Agar provides a non-nutritive, largely inert polysaccharide matrix that gels the medium, enabling spatially separated colony formation and morphological assessment.

Use-context biology:

• Non-selective media like nutrient agar facilitate recovery of a wide range of non-fastidious organisms, enabling unbiased enumeration and maintenance.
• Colony development on solid medium reflects metabolic versatility and stress tolerance; pigmentation, hemolysis (if blood is added), and diffusible metabolites can be observed on plates.

Limitations (literature):

• Many fastidious bacteria (e.g., Neisseria, Haemophilus) or particular environmental isolates may require enriched or specialized media and controlled atmospheres (CO2, microaerophilic conditions).
• Standard nutrient agar has minimal buffering and limited differential capability without supplements.

Buffer Applications

Not typically used as a buffer system. Nutrient agar is a complex growth medium with limited and variable buffering capacity (literature). For controlled pH applications, use defined buffers (e.g., phosphate, MOPS, HEPES) in liquid systems.

Practical note (literature):

• If pH control on plates is critical (e.g., enzyme screening), a defined buffered agar base should be prepared instead of standard nutrient agar.
• Any item-specific buffer composition or target pH for this SKU is Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.

Green Alternatives

As a water-based microbiological medium, Standard II Nutrient Agar already avoids most volatile organic solvents. Sustainability considerations focus on resource efficiency and waste reduction rather than chemical substitution.

Greener practice considerations (literature/general):

• Switch to reusable glass Petri dishes where feasible; validate washing/sterilization cycles to reduce plastic waste.
• Optimize batch sizes to minimize leftover molten agar and expired poured plates.
• Use energy-efficient autoclave cycles (e.g., pre-vacuum vs gravity cycles matched to load) and avoid over-sterilization.
• Dispose of biohazardous waste via on-site autoclaving prior to landfill/incineration per institutional policy; avoid chemical disinfectants where heat sterilization suffices.
• Consider dehydrated media in bulk packaging to reduce packaging waste; store properly to maintain shelf life.

Comparison (general):

• Standard nutrient agar vs selective/differential media: selectivity often requires dyes/antibiotics that add environmental burden; use non-selective media unless selectivity is essential for the method.
• Ready-to-use plates vs in-house pouring: ready-to-use saves energy/water on-site but increases transport/packaging; perform a site-specific life-cycle assessment to choose the lower-impact option.

Pharmaceutical Uses

No therapeutic or clinical use is implied. For research use only (per Product Data).

Industry/application context (literature/general):

• In pharmaceutical and biotech QC microbiology, non-selective agars are used for environmental monitoring, microbial enumeration, and maintenance of reference strains, following internal SOPs and compendial guidance where applicable.
• For compendial testing (e.g., USP/EP/JP microbial limits), specific prescribed media (such as TSA, R2A, Plate Count Agar) are often required; confirm suitability before use. “Standard II Nutrient Agar” may be employed for general growth and maintenance but method validation is advised.
• As a base matrix, it can be supplemented with neutralizers during disinfectant efficacy studies, when validated.

Compliance note:

• This SKU is designated BioReagent, Research Use Only. Any GMP or regulated use requires qualification/validation of the medium, supplier assessment, and review of the lot-specific CoA/Spec Sheet, growth promotion data, and sterility controls.

Physical Properties

Item-specific physicochemical specifications are not provided in the Product Data and cannot be inferred for a composite medium.

• Appearance: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet. (Typically a tan to beige, free-flowing dehydrated powder; literature)
• Solubility: Dispersible in water with heating; forms a firm gel upon cooling due to agar (literature).
• pH (prepared medium): Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet. (Typical nutrient agar is near neutral, ~pH 6.8–7.4 at 25 °C; literature)
• Gelation temperature/strength: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet. (Agar gels on cooling ~35–40 °C and melts ~85–95 °C; literature)
• Density, refractive index, logP, BP/MP: Not applicable/meaningful for a dehydrated, heterogeneous mixture; not specified for this item.

Preparation-related physical behavior (literature/general):

• The dehydrated powder wets and swells; full dissolution requires heating to near-boiling with stirring.
• After sterilization (e.g., 121 °C, autoclave) and cooling to ~50–55 °C, the liquid medium pours as plates and solidifies on further cooling to room temperature.
• Final opacity is slight to moderate haze typical of non-selective nutrient media, allowing colony visualization.

Quality and Grades

• Grade: BioReagent (per Product Data). This denotes suitability for biological/biochemical laboratory use, emphasizing low bioburden and consistent performance in microbial culture (general meaning of BioReagent grade).
• This SKU-specific notes:
  • Purity specifications, microbial limits, dehydrated blend tolerances, and growth promotion test (GPT) performance are Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Practical implications of BioReagent grade (general):
  • Batch-to-batch consistency in nutrient composition and agar performance to support reproducible colony morphology and counts.
  • Manufactured to minimize background contamination and to meet internal QC acceptance criteria (e.g., sterility of dehydrated powder, moisture content limits, growth promotion on standard strains; literature expectations).
• Stabilizers/antimicrobials: None are typically present in non-selective nutrient agar; selective agents are not part of standard formulations (literature). Any additives for this SKU are Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Documentation: For regulated workflows (e.g., environmental monitoring, QC micro), retain the lot CoA showing GPT organisms, incubation conditions, and expected responses where applicable.

Reaction and Applications

Chemical reaction applications are not relevant; instead, focus is on microbiological applications (literature/general):

• General-purpose growth medium for maintenance, sub-culturing, and enumeration of non-fastidious bacteria from environmental, food, and laboratory samples.
• Suitable for streaking for isolation, colony purification, morphological observation, and preparation of inocula.
• Quality control and teaching labs: demonstration of aseptic technique, colony characteristics, and basic microbiology exercises.
• Environmental monitoring: settle plates or contact plates (when poured appropriately) for air/surface bioburden trend monitoring; suitability depends on internal SOPs.
• Recovery of organisms after stress (e.g., from disinfectant exposure) where a non-selective, nutrient-rich agar is desirable.
• As a base matrix for supplementation: can be amended with carbohydrates, indicators, or selective agents for specific purposes (added post-sterilization as required; literature).

Practical tips (literature):

• Dry plates (e.g., in a laminar flow hood) to remove surface condensation before use for streaking.
• For colony counts, plate appropriate serial dilutions (spread-plate or pour-plate) to obtain 30–300 CFU per plate; incubate under organism-appropriate temperature and atmosphere.
• Record lot number and plate preparation date; many labs assign a shelf-life to poured plates (often 2–4 weeks refrigerated, wrapped; actual stability per in-house validation).

Reaction Conditions

Classical chemical reaction parameters are not applicable. The relevant “conditions” concern media preparation and sterilization (literature/general guidance):

• Reconstitution: Suspend the dehydrated medium in purified water with stirring. Heat to near-boiling until completely dissolved.
• Sterilization: Autoclave at 121 °C for ~15 minutes (gravity cycle) for typical volumes; adjust time for larger volumes per autoclave guidelines.
• Pouring: Cool to ~50–55 °C before adding heat-labile supplements (if any), then pour 20–25 mL per standard 90-mm plate, avoiding condensation.
• Incubation: After solidification and drying, inoculate and incubate plates at organism-appropriate temperatures (often 25–37 °C) and atmospheres (aerobic unless otherwise required).
• Expected performance: Robust growth of many non-fastidious bacteria; specific growth promotion metrics and organisms are Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.

These values are general literature practices and not item-specific specifications. Always follow institutional SOPs and verify lot-specific preparation instructions when provided on the label/CoA.

Safety and Handling

Hazard classification is not provided in the Product Data for this mixture.

• GHS classification / Signal word / H-statements / Pictograms: Not specified for this item; refer to SDS.
• Primary hazards (general):
  • Low intrinsic chemical hazard expected for most dehydrated nutrient media; dust may cause mechanical eye/respiratory irritation (literature).
  • Biohazard potential arises after inoculation: cultures may contain pathogenic microorganisms; handle plates and spent media using appropriate biosafety practices and disposal.
• PPE (general best practice): lab coat, gloves, safety glasses; dust mask/respirator where airborne dust may be generated; use fume hood or biosafety cabinet as procedures dictate.
• Handling tips:
  • Avoid generating dust; close containers promptly to prevent moisture uptake and contamination.
  • When heating/boiling to dissolve agar, use adequate vessel volume and stirring to prevent bumping/boil-over.
• Incompatibilities (general): strong oxidizers may degrade organic components; avoid contact with strong acids/bases that may hydrolyze organics or alter gelation.
• First aid (general guidance; see SDS):
  • Eye/skin contact with powder: rinse with water; remove contaminated clothing.
  • Inhalation of dust: move to fresh air.
  • Ingestion: rinse mouth with water.
• Waste: Autoclave or disinfect used media/plates before disposal according to institutional biosafety protocols.

Solvent Selection

This product is a microbiological medium rather than a solute for organic synthesis; conventional solvent selection does not apply. Relevant guidance concerns dissolution in water.

• Primary solvent: purified/distilled water (ASTM Type 1/2 recommended for reproducibility; literature).
• Dissolution behavior (literature):
  • Sprinkle powder into cold or room-temperature water under stirring to minimize clumping.
  • Heat to near-boiling to fully dissolve agar; avoid scorching.
• Sterilization: Autoclave at 121 °C for ~15 minutes for typical volumes; cool to 50–55 °C before pouring plates (literature).
• Additives: If selective supplements or antibiotics are required for your application, filter-sterilize those separately and add aseptically after the base medium cools to ~45–50 °C (literature).
• Alternatives (context): For fastidious organisms, enriched media (e.g., blood agar, chocolate agar) may be more appropriate; for enumeration in dairy/water testing, Plate Count Agar or Standard Methods Agar may be preferable depending on compendial method (literature).

Storage and Reconstitution

• Storage (as supplied): Room temperature (per Product Data). Keep container tightly closed in a dry place; protect from moisture and microbial contamination.
• Shipping: Ambient/normal (per Product Data).
• Shelf life: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.

Reconstitution and sterilization (literature/general):

• Water quality: Use purified/distilled water. Slowly add powder to water with stirring to minimize clumps; heat to dissolve completely.
• Sterilize by autoclaving at 121 °C for ~15 minutes. Do not overheat to avoid Maillard browning or nutrient degradation.
• After autoclaving: Cool to 50–55 °C; if needed, aseptically add heat-labile supplements/antibiotics; mix gently to avoid air bubbles; pour plates.
• Solidification: Allow plates to set at room temperature; dry surface (e.g., in a laminar flow hood) before use to remove condensation.
• Storage of prepared medium (general): Plates wrapped or bagged to prevent drying; typically stored at 2–8 °C. Stability and maximum storage time are method- and lab-dependent and are Not specified for this item; refer to in-house validation.

For research use only (per Product Data). Always consult the lot-specific label and CoA/Spec Sheet for any provided preparation instructions or performance criteria.

Structure and Identity

Standard II Nutrient Agar is a dehydrated, composite microbiological growth medium, not a single defined chemical entity.

• Product type: complex mixture (peptone/yeast or meat extract, sodium chloride, agar gelling agent; exact composition varies by manufacturer; literature)
• CAS: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Molecular formula: Not applicable (mixture). Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Molecular weight: Not applicable (mixture). Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• SMILES / InChI / InChIKey: Not available for complex mixtures.
• Structural features (literature/general):
  • Contains polypeptidic/peptidic hydrolysates (nutrient source), small molecules (amino acids, peptides, minerals), and polysaccharide agarose/agaropectin (gelling matrix).
  • No defined stereochemistry or single 2D structure; the product’s functional identity is operational—i.e., capacity to support growth of non-fastidious bacteria on solid plates.

Identity discussion (general):

• “Nutrient agar” is a classical, non-selective, general-purpose medium. The “Standard II” designation typically indicates a standardized formulation and performance criteria (literature), but exact component specifications and performance metrics must be confirmed on the product’s CoA/Spec Sheet for this SKU.

Synthetic Utility

Not applicable to organic synthesis. Standard II Nutrient Agar is a microbiological growth medium and is not used as a reagent, catalyst, or building block in chemical transformations.

Related lab utility (literature/general):

• As a solid matrix for microbiology-guided biotransformations or screening of microbial catalysts, nutrient agar plates can host colonies expressing enzymes of interest, enabling high-throughput colorimetric/fluorometric assays when appropriate indicators/substrates are included.
• For any chemical synthesis requiring solid supports or gels, chemically defined agarose or specialty gels are preferred over complex nutrient media.

Target Specificity

Not applicable. This product is not an antibody, oligonucleotide, or affinity reagent and has no defined molecular target or epitope. It is a non-selective growth medium supporting a broad range of non-fastidious microorganisms (literature).