Universal Beer Agar (UBA Medium) - BioReagent

Cat. No.: U1528740

GRADE & PURITY BioReagent

Storage

Room temperature

Shipped In

Normal

Overview

For detection of beer spoilage bacteria and anaerobic bacteria

Specifications

Specifications & Purity

BioReagent

Storage

Room temperature

Shipped In

Normal

Grade

BioReagent

Product Line

Biological Products

Application Protocols

The following protocol is general guidance for dehydrated beer agar media and should be adapted to your SOPs. It is not item-specific and does not replace label instructions.

• Materials:
  • Dehydrated UBA medium, purified water, heat-resistant flask, stir bar/hot plate, autoclave, sterile Petri dishes, optional sterile beer/wort, anaerobic jar (as needed).
• Preparation (literature/general):
  1. Weigh the dehydrated medium as directed on the product label (typical agar media usage rates are on the order of tens of grams per liter; follow your CoA/label).
  2. Add to the appropriate volume of purified water. Allow to disperse, then heat to near boiling with stirring until fully dissolved.
  3. Autoclave at 121 °C for 15 minutes. Cool to 50–55 °C. If using supplements (e.g., sterile-filtered beer/wort), add aseptically and mix gently.
  4. Pour 20–25 mL per 90-mm plate. Allow to solidify; dry surface in a biosafety cabinet if needed before use.
• Plating and incubation (general):
  • Inoculate with sample or dilutions. For bacteria, consider anaerobic incubation; for yeasts, incubate aerobically at 25–30 °C.
  • Inspect daily; record colony counts and morphologies. Subculture isolates for confirmation.
• Controls:
  • Include negative (sterility) and positive controls with known brewing strains to verify growth promotion for each lot.
• Documentation:
  • Record lot number, prep date, pH (if measured), incubation conditions, and results per laboratory QA requirements.

Biological Roles

This item is not a biomolecule; it is a culture medium that provides nutrients and a solid surface to support growth of brewing-relevant microorganisms. The following roles are general/literature context for such media.

• Nutritional provisioning:
  • Nitrogen sources (peptones/tryptones) supply amino acids and peptides for microbial biosynthesis.
  • Yeast extract contributes B-vitamins, nucleotides, and growth factors that enhance recovery of stressed cells from beer matrices.
  • Carbohydrates (e.g., maltose/glucose in some beer-oriented media) provide fermentable carbon consistent with brewery environments.
• Physical support:
  • Agar forms a semi-solid, hydrated gel that allows colony formation and isolation for downstream picking and identification.
• Environmental mimicry:
  • Beer and wort present low pH, ethanol, CO2, hop iso-α-acids, and nutrient limitation. Universal beer agar formulations aim to improve recovery of organisms adapted to these stresses (literature), particularly when supplemented with sterile beer/wort.
• Selectivity vs. universality:
  • “Universal” in this context generally means broad recovery rather than strict selectivity. Actual selectivity is governed by incubation conditions (temperature, oxygen, added inhibitors) and is not inherent without additives.

Buffer Applications

This product is not a defined buffering reagent. While prepared agar media have intrinsic buffering capacity from their components, UBA is not used to formulate analytical buffer systems.

• Practical note (general):
  • If a specific pH is required to mimic beer or wort, adjust the hydrated medium before sterilization using sterile acid/base as per your validated SOPs. Any pH adjustments should be validated for organism recovery since excessive shifts can inhibit growth.

Green Alternatives

As a microbiological medium, UBA typically presents low EHS impact relative to many organic solvents or hazardous reagents. Considerations and alternatives revolve around workflow sustainability rather than chemical substitution.

• Environmental considerations (general):
  • Autoclaving is energy-intensive—batch preparation and efficient load planning can reduce energy per plate.
  • Avoid single-use plastics where possible; consider glass Petri dishes for internal R&D labs with validated sterilization.
• Comparisons (literature/general):
  • UBA vs. antibiotic-containing selective media: Avoiding antibiotics reduces downstream waste classification and environmental burden, but may reduce selectivity; choose based on risk/benefit and regulatory context.
  • Powdered medium prepared in-house vs. pre-poured plates: In-house prep minimizes shipping volume/weight but requires autoclave energy; pre-poured plates reduce on-site energy but increase packaging waste. Optimize based on your facility’s utilities and waste streams.
• Greener practices:
  • Use closed-bottle media melting systems to minimize evaporative losses and odors.
  • Decontaminate spent plates by autoclave and separate agar from plastics for appropriate recycling streams where permitted.
  • Prepare only the quantity needed for the study period to minimize expired waste.

Pharmaceutical Uses

Not typically used as a pharmaceutical excipient or for clinical formulations. This product is intended for laboratory microbiology.

• Relevant laboratory use context (general):
  • May be used in non-clinical QC or R&D microbiology labs for process hygiene and contamination studies of beverage-related organisms.
• Pharmacopeial status: Not applicable; no monograph is indicated for this universal beer agar. For regulated environments, rely on in-house method validation and supplier CoA/SDS.

Physical Properties

Item-specific specifications are not provided in the Product Data. The following are general/literature characteristics of dehydrated agar media; do not treat as specifications for this item.

• State/appearance: Dehydrated, free-flowing powder or granules (typical for agar media). Item-specific appearance: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Solubility (literature): Dispersible in water; complete dissolution of agar and nutrients typically requires heating to boiling prior to sterilization. Insoluble in organic solvents.
• Prepared medium pH (literature): Formulations intended for beer-spoilage organisms commonly fall in the mildly acidic range (approx. pH 5–6 before sterilization), but exact pH is formulation-dependent and not specified for this item.
• Gelation (literature): Agar gels on cooling, with typical gelling temperatures near 32–40 °C and melting near 85–90 °C; hysteresis provides a robust gel at common incubation temperatures.
• Density/bulk density: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Refractive index, logP, pKa, BP/MP: Not applicable/relevant for a heterogeneous culture medium; Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Hygroscopicity (general): Dehydrated media are moisture-sensitive; exposure to humidity can cause clumping and performance drift—store tightly sealed (see Storage tab).

Quality & Grades

• Grade: BioReagent (item-specific). This denotes suitability for biological and microbiological laboratory use, emphasizing low bioburden of the dehydrated product and performance consistency for culture work.
• What BioReagent typically implies (general):
  • Manufactured under controls appropriate for life science research reagents.
  • Focus on functional performance (e.g., growth promotion), rather than analytical purity of a single chemical.
• Item-specific specifications (pH of prepared medium, fill weight, growth-promotion organisms, sterility): Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Typical quality controls for agar media (literature/general):
  • Growth promotion testing with relevant organisms (e.g., lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus/Pediococcus and brewing yeasts/wild yeasts) to confirm recovery and colony morphology.
  • Moisture content control to ensure consistent hydration.
  • Homogeneity testing and absence of inhibitory residues.
• Stabilizers/additives: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Practical guidance:
  • For regulated QA/QC environments, retain lot CoA/SDS and perform in-house verification (e.g., plate count recoveries) against your strains and beer matrices, as media performance can be matrix- and organism-dependent.

Reaction & Applications

This product is not a reagent for chemical reactions. Instead, it functions as a microbiological medium. Below are laboratory applications (general/literature) relevant to beer QC and brewing microbiology.

• Primary applications:
  • Isolation and enumeration of beer-associated microorganisms, including lactic acid bacteria (e.g., Lactobacillus, Pediococcus) and yeasts (e.g., Saccharomyces, Brettanomyces/wild yeasts), depending on subsequent incubation conditions.
  • Routine environmental/line monitoring in breweries and beverage plants using surface plating or pour plates.
  • Morphology-based preliminary screening prior to molecular confirmation (PCR, sequencing) or biochemical profiling.
• Practical notes:
  • Oxygen control: Many beer-spoilage bacteria are microaerophilic/anaerobic; consider anaerobic jars with gas packs for incubation of bacteria on UBA (literature).
  • Incubation temperature: Yeasts often 25–30 °C; lactic acid bacteria often 28–32 °C. Exact conditions vary by strain and should be validated.
  • pH and hop tolerance: If targeting highly hop-tolerant bacteria, consider parallel plating on media incorporating hop acids or selective agents.
  • Beer/wort supplementation: Some labs add sterile beer or wort post-sterilization (cooled to ~50–55 °C) to mimic brewery conditions and enhance recovery (literature practice).
• Limitations:
  • Non-differential without added indicators; for definitive ID, pair with differential/selective media or molecular assays.

Reaction Conditions

Chemical reaction conditions are not applicable. The following are general/literature microbiological preparation and incubation conditions for agar media used in brewing microbiology; they are NOT item-specific specifications.

• Medium preparation (general):
  • Disperse the dehydrated medium in purified water. Heat with stirring to dissolve completely.
  • Sterilize by autoclaving at 121 °C for 15 minutes (typical for agar media). Allow to cool to ~50–55 °C before pouring plates.
  • Optional: Supplement with sterile-filtered beer or wort post-autoclave to emulate brewery conditions; mix gently to avoid bubble entrapment.
• Plating and incubation (general):
  • Plate 100–200 µL of sample or appropriate dilutions; spread with a sterile spreader.
  • Yeasts: Incubate at 25–30 °C, aerobic, 2–5 days (colony development times vary by species).
  • Lactic acid bacteria: Incubate at 28–32 °C for 3–7 days; often microaerophilic/anaerobic conditions (e.g., anaerobic jars with gas packs) improve recovery.
  • Monitor plates periodically; extend incubation for slow growers (e.g., Brettanomyces) as needed.
• Quality checks:
  • Include uninoculated sterility controls and positive controls with known brewery isolates to verify performance each lot (literature best practice).

Safety & Handling

Item-specific GHS data are not provided in the Product Data. Always review the lot-specific SDS.

• GHS classification, pictograms, signal word, H-statements: Not specified for this item; refer to SDS.
• General hazards (typical for dehydrated media):
  • Low acute toxicity expected; dust may cause mechanical irritation to eyes/respiratory tract.
  • Fine powder may create dust clouds; minimize dust generation and ignition sources (standard lab good practice).
• PPE recommendations (good laboratory practice):
  • Lab coat, safety glasses, and disposable gloves. Use a dust mask/respirator if handling large quantities or if dust cannot be controlled.
• Handling notes:
  • Avoid moisture ingress; reseal promptly after dispensing.
  • Dissolve with gradual heating and stirring to prevent bumping; use heat-resistant gloves.
• Incompatibilities (general):
  • Strong oxidizers and strong acids/bases can degrade organic nutrients and agar; avoid cross-contamination with antibiotics or selective agents unless intended by protocol.
• First-aid overview (general):
  • Inhalation: Move to fresh air; seek medical advice if irritation persists.
  • Eye contact: Rinse cautiously with water for several minutes; remove contact lenses if present and easy to do; seek medical attention if irritation continues.
  • Skin contact: Wash with soap and water.
  • Ingestion: Rinse mouth; seek medical advice if unwell.
• Waste: Dispose according to institutional biosafety rules. Autoclave plates/cultures prior to disposal to inactivate microorganisms.

Solvent Selection

This product is a solid culture medium; solvent selection as used in organic synthesis is not applicable. Preparation requires only water.

• Primary solvent: Purified water (Type 1 or Type 2). Using high-quality water minimizes background haze/precipitates and variability in colony appearance.
• Practical guidance (general/literature):
  • Hydration: Disperse the dehydrated medium in cold water first, then heat to dissolve agar completely (gentle boiling). Avoid scorching.
  • Clarification: Some beer-related media are intentionally not highly clarified to retain nutrients; avoid over-filtration of prepared medium.
  • Sterilization: Autoclave at 121 °C for 15 minutes unless otherwise stated on the label/CoA; do not over-autoclave to prevent caramelization of carbohydrates and loss of performance.
• Optional matrix considerations (literature):
  • Some brewing QC workflows supplement the reconstituted medium with sterile beer or wort to better simulate brewery conditions. Validate such modifications in-house.
• Comparison (general):
  • UBA vs. selective beer media (e.g., LCSM, Hsu’s lactobacillus/pediococcus media): UBA is commonly used as a more universal/recovery-oriented surface; selective media incorporate inhibitors (e.g., hop compounds, antibiotics) to bias recovery. Choose based on target organisms and workflow (screening vs. enumeration).

Storage & Reconstitution

• Item-specific storage condition: Room temperature (per Product Data). Shipments: Normal. Protect from moisture and excessive heat.
• Container handling:
  • Keep tightly closed with desiccant where possible. Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Avoid repeated opening in humid environments.
• Shelf life and specifications: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Reconstitution/preparation (general):
  • Hydrate in purified water, heat to dissolve, and sterilize by autoclaving at 121 °C for 15 minutes unless otherwise indicated on the label. Cool to ~50–55 °C before pouring plates. Do not re-autoclave supplemented media containing heat-labile additives.
• Prepared media storage (literature/general):
  • Plates: Store inverted in sealed sleeves at 2–8 °C to minimize dehydration. Typical in-lab usability ranges from 2 to 4 weeks, depending on formulation and storage; verify with in-house QC.
  • Bottled agar (slants/deeps): Keep at 2–8 °C; remelt once if necessary (avoid repeated melt cycles to prevent degradation).
• Freeze–thaw: Not applicable to dehydrated powder. Avoid freezing prepared plates as this disrupts agar gel integrity.
• Research use note: For research use only (per Product Data).

Structure & Identity

• Item type: Dehydrated microbiological culture medium (solid blend) designed for the cultivation and detection of beer-associated microorganisms (bacteria and yeasts) on agar plates.
• SKU: U1528740; Grade: BioReagent; Category: 生命科学 (Life Science).
• Item-specific identifiers:
  • CAS: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
  • CID: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
  • InChIKey: Not applicable to complex mixtures.
  • SMILES: Not applicable to complex mixtures.
  • Molecular formula / Molecular weight: Not applicable to complex mixtures; Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Structural features (general):
  • Complex blend typically comprising peptones/tryptones (amino acid/peptide hydrolysates), yeast extract (vitamins, growth factors), fermentable carbohydrates (e.g., maltose/glucose), mineral salts, buffers, and agar as the gelling agent. Exact composition for this product is not specified.
• 2D structure (described):
  • As a formulated mixture, there is no single discrete molecular structure; rather, it is a granular/powdered composite of organic and inorganic nutrients plus agar intended to form a solid nutrient surface upon hydration and sterilization.
• Identity verification (general practice):
  • Confirm by product label, lot number, and, where available, growth promotion testing against brewing-relevant strains (literature practice).

Synthetic Utility

Not applicable. Universal Beer Agar is not a synthetic building block or reagent for chemical transformations.

• Guidance:
  • For organic synthesis applications, select appropriate analytical-grade reagents and solvents. For microbiology and fermentation-focused research, refer to the Application Protocols and Reaction Conditions tabs for preparation and incubation practices.

Target Specificity

This section is generally used for antibodies or affinity reagents and does not apply to a culture medium.

• Applicability: Not applicable. UBA Medium does not possess molecular target specificity; growth outcomes are governed by incubation conditions and any optional selective supplements added by the user.