PLET Agar Base - BioReagent

Cat. No.: P1528293

GRADE & PURITY BioReagent

Storage

Room temperature

Shipped In

Normal

Overview

For isolation and differentiation of Bacillus anthracis; requires addition of polymyxin B, lysozyme, and thallous acetate

Specifications

Specifications & Purity

BioReagent

Storage

Room temperature

Shipped In

Normal

Grade

BioReagent

Product Line

Biological Products

Application Protocols

Below is a generalized protocol for preparing selective plates using a dehydrated PLET Agar Base. This guidance is literature-based and not item-specific; follow your institution’s SOP and the product label.

General plate preparation (literature/general):

1. Calculate and weigh the required mass of PLET Agar Base according to the label’s g/L recommendation. Item-specific dosage: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
2. Add to purified water. Heat with stirring to dissolve completely; avoid scorching.
3. Autoclave at 121 °C for ~15 minutes (15 psi). Allow pressure to return safely.
4. Cool to 45–50 °C in a water bath. Maintain sterility.
5. Aseptically add sterile-filtered supplements to achieve the desired PLET selectivity (e.g., polymyxin B, lysozyme, EDTA, thallous acetate). Exact concentrations: per validated method; not specified for this item.
6. Mix gently, pour plates (e.g., 20–25 mL per 100 mm plate), and allow to solidify. Dry plates in a biosafety cabinet if needed to remove excess surface moisture.
7. Store finished plates inverted in sealed sleeves at 2–8 °C if compatible with your workflow, and use within your validated shelf life (general guidance).

Controls and QC (general):

• Include positive/negative control strains per your protocol to verify selectivity and recovery.
• Record lot numbers, preparation date, and any pH adjustments.

Biosafety: Handle all inoculated plates at the appropriate biosafety level; decontaminate by autoclaving before disposal.

Biological Roles

This product does not have a biological role as a single molecule; rather, it functions as a nutrient and solid support matrix for cultivating microorganisms in research settings.

Functional aspects in microbiology (literature/general):

• Nutritional support: Provides carbon, nitrogen, vitamins, and minerals via complex digest/yeast extract components to sustain microbial growth.
• Solid support: Agar polymer forms a stable gel permitting surface colony formation, clonal isolation, and morphological assessment.
• Selectivity (with supplements): When combined with polymyxin B, lysozyme, EDTA, and thallous acetate, the base becomes a PLET selective medium that modulates viability and growth recovery profiles among different bacteria. The base itself supplies the matrix while supplements impose selective pressure (literature/general). Exact selectivity profile for this SKU: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.

Experimental considerations:

• Trace components and pH can influence growth rate, pigmentation, and colony morphology. Lot-to-lot consistency is important for reproducible phenotypes.
• For studies of stress responses or nutrient limitation, the base may be modified by defined supplements; consult your SOPs for permissible adjustments.

Note: For research use only. Use and organism handling must follow institutional biosafety approvals and applicable regulations.

Buffer Applications

Not typically used as a buffer system. PLET Agar Base is a complex culture medium; buffering capacity arises from its formulation but it is not a dedicated buffering reagent.

Guidance (general):

• If pH adjustment is necessary for a specific protocol, adjust the reconstituted medium with sterile acid/base under aseptic conditions after sterilization and cooling, ensuring supplements tolerate the final pH. Item-specific target pH: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• For dedicated buffering needs in parallel experiments (e.g., washing, dilutions), use defined buffer systems (e.g., phosphate, Tris) prepared separately and sterilized appropriately.

Green Alternatives

Although culture media are not typically framed in solvent “green chemistry” terms, there are sustainability choices that reduce resource use and waste in microbiology workflows.

Greener practice options (general guidance):

• Make only the quantity of plates needed for near-term experiments to minimize unused expired plates.
• Use energy-efficient autoclave cycles validated for your container sizes; avoid excessive sterilization times that consume water and energy without benefit.
• Prefer powdered media (this product) over pre-filled single-use plates when feasible; shipping and packaging footprints are typically lower and shelf stability is higher.
• Reuse glassware (media bottles, flasks, reusable plate pourers) where validated, instead of single-use plastics.
• Optimize plate thickness to experimental need (e.g., 20–25 mL per 100 mm plate) to avoid material waste.
• Consolidate supplement stock solutions and prepare at concentrations that minimize solvent waste while maintaining sterility (e.g., sterile filtration rather than heat sterilization for heat-labile components).

Comparison (general):

• Ready-to-use plates: Convenience high; plastic and cold-chain waste often higher.
• Dehydrated base (this item): Preparation effort higher; packaging and transport impacts generally lower; flexible selectivity via add-on supplements.

Disposal:

• Autoclave or otherwise inactivate used media before disposal per institutional biosafety and local regulations to prevent environmental release of viable organisms.

Pharmaceutical Uses

This product is not an excipient or active pharmaceutical ingredient. It is a research-grade culture medium base intended for laboratory microbiology applications only.

Relevant roles in pharmaceutical R&D QC (general):

• May be used in non-clinical research and development labs for microbial selection/isolation experiments, method development, or environmental microbiology studies, where selective plating is needed (as allowed by internal SOPs).

Regulatory status:

• No pharmacopeial monograph is implied for this item. Any use in GMP or regulated environments requires customer qualification and method validation.

Compliance note:

• Research Use Only (item-specific). Not for human or veterinary diagnostic or therapeutic use.

Physical Properties

Item-specific physicochemical constants are not defined for complex media blends. Where applicable, general properties of dehydrated agar media are provided as literature guidance.

Item-specific values:

• Appearance: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Molecular formula / weight: Not applicable (mixture).
• Density, melting point, boiling point, refractive index, logP, pKa, UV cutoff: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.

General/literature properties for dehydrated agar media (for laboratory planning only):

• Physical form: Free-flowing, hygroscopic powder or granules (literature/general).
• Solubility: Disperses in cold water; requires heating to near boiling to dissolve agar completely; forms a gel upon cooling ~30–40 °C at ~1–2% w/v agar (literature/general).
• pH: Working media exhibit a formulation-dependent pH; the target pH is medium-specific. Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Thermal behavior: Agar solutions are typically sterilized by autoclaving at 121 °C; agar gels melt near 85–95 °C and solidify ~30–40 °C (literature/general).

Practical note:

• Use freshly prepared, air-free, purified water (e.g., ASTM Type I/II) to minimize precipitation and background contaminants. Verify item-specific preparation instructions on the product label or specification sheet before use.

Quality & Grades

• Grade: BioReagent (item-specific). This designation indicates suitability for laboratory biological research, including preparation of culture media and related workflows. BioReagent-grade products are typically controlled for key attributes such as low bioburden, consistent nutrient profile, and performance within microbiological applications, as defined by the manufacturer’s internal specifications.

What BioReagent means in practice (general guidance):

• Intended use: Research and analytical laboratory use, not for human or animal therapeutic, diagnostic, or food applications.
• Performance expectations: Consistent lot-to-lot behavior in culture preparation when used as directed; may be subject to growth promotion or selectivity checks by users.
• Trace impurities: Limits relevant to routine microbiology may be controlled; exact impurity specifications (metals, ash, etc.) are formulation-dependent. Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Stabilizers/preservatives: Dehydrated media typically do not require added stabilizers; the product should be kept dry and sealed. Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.

Documentation:

• For precise formulation, performance characteristics, and quality attributes (e.g., recommended preparation parameters, pH targets, growth promotion test organisms), consult the product label and the CoA/Spec Sheet for this SKU.
• Research Use Note (item-specific): For research use only.

Reaction & Applications

Not a reagent for organic synthesis; classical chemical reactions (e.g., Grignard, cross-coupling) are not applicable.

Relevant laboratory applications (microbiology research; literature/general):

• Preparation of a selective plating medium when supplemented with polymyxin B, lysozyme, EDTA, and thallous acetate (the PLET system). The agar base provides nutrients and gel strength while the supplements provide selectivity.
• Environmental and basic microbiology workflows: colony isolation, enrichment plating, morphology assessment, and colony picking on selective media.
• Quality control/method development: evaluation of selectivity, recovery rates, and background suppression from complex matrices.

Practical tips:

• Dissolution: Heat with stirring to achieve a clear solution before sterilization. Avoid localized scorching.
• Sterilization: Autoclave at 121 °C (15 psi) for an appropriate time per lab SOP; avoid oversterilization that can caramelize components and darken the medium (literature/general). Item-specific cycle: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Supplement addition: Cool sterilized base to ~45–50 °C before aseptically adding sterile-filtered selective agents to preserve activity of heat-labile components (literature/general).
• Plate quality: Maintain consistent pour volumes and allow plates to dry to a uniform surface before use to optimize streaking and colony separation.

Reaction Conditions

Not applicable to chemical reactions. For practical laboratory preparation of culture medium, the following is general literature guidance (not item-specific):

General preparation workflow (literature/general):

• Hydration: Disperse the labeled mass of dehydrated base into purified water to the desired final volume (follow the product label for g/L). Item-specific dosage: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Dissolution: Heat with stirring to near boiling until the agar and nutrients are fully dissolved and the solution is clear.
• Sterilization: Autoclave at 121 °C for approximately 15 minutes at 15 psi unless your SOP specifies otherwise. Avoid overcooking to limit Maillard/caramelization effects.
• Cooling and supplementation: Cool to 45–50 °C. Aseptically add sterile-filtered supplements required for PLET selectivity (e.g., polymyxin B, lysozyme, EDTA, thallous acetate) at protocol-defined concentrations (not provided here). Mix gently without aeration/foaming.
• Plate pouring: Dispense into sterile Petri dishes (typical 20–25 mL per 100 mm plate), allow to solidify, and dry to a consistent surface before storage/use.

Expected performance and yields: Not applicable. Consult internal validation with relevant test strains to verify selectivity and recovery for your application.

Safety & Handling

GHS hazard details are not provided for this item; always consult the SDS for authoritative safety information.

Item-specific hazard data:

• Signal word: Not specified for this item; refer to SDS.
• Hazard statements (H-): Not specified for this item; refer to SDS.
• GHS classification/pictograms: Not specified for this item; refer to SDS.

General laboratory safety for dehydrated culture media (literature/general):

• Avoid breathing dust; media powders can be irritating to the respiratory tract and eyes. Use in a well-ventilated area or under a hood; minimize dust generation.
• PPE: Lab coat, safety glasses, and appropriate gloves. Use dust mask/respirator if dust cannot be controlled, per institutional risk assessment.
• Hygiene: Wash hands after handling. Do not eat or drink in the lab.
• Thermal hazards: Hot agar solutions can cause severe burns. Handle molten media with heat-resistant gloves; avoid splashes.
• Incompatibilities: Store away from strong oxidizers and moisture. Hygroscopic—keep tightly closed.
• Biosafety: Once reconstituted and inoculated, materials may contain viable microorganisms. Handle according to organism-specific biosafety level and institutional approvals. Autoclave all contaminated media and disposables before disposal.
• First aid (overview): Inhalation—move to fresh air; Skin/Eye—rinse with water; Ingestion—rinse mouth. Seek medical attention as needed. Defer to SDS/institutional protocols for details.

Solvent Selection

This product is a dehydrated agar base intended to be reconstituted in water.

• Primary solvent: Purified water (ASTM Type I or II/ISO 3696 Grade 2) is recommended to minimize contaminants that may impact growth/selectivity (general guidance).
• Miscibility: Fully miscible as a dispersion in cold water; agar requires heating to dissolve (literature/general).
• Additives: Selective agents (e.g., polymyxin B, lysozyme, EDTA, thallous acetate) are typically prepared separately and added aseptically after sterilization and cooling of the base to 45–50 °C (literature/general). Exact supplements and concentrations: Not specified for this item; refer to protocol/CoA.

When to choose water quality levels (general):

• Type I water for sensitive microbial physiology or trace analysis.
• Type II/RO–DI water for routine plate pouring.

Comparison (general):

• Tap water: Variable ions/chlorine may inhibit growth or alter selectivity; avoid.
• Buffers: Not typically needed; media formulations contain inherent buffering. If pH control is critical, adjust with sterile acid/base after sterilization, as allowed by your SOP.

Practical tip: Degas hot media gently and avoid vigorous boiling, which can concentrate salts and incorporate bubbles, affecting plate quality.

Storage & Reconstitution

Item-specific conditions:

• Storage conditions: Room temperature (as provided in Product Data). Keep container tightly closed in a cool, dry place. Protect from moisture.
• Shipped in: Normal (ambient) conditions (item-specific).

General storage guidance for dehydrated media (literature/general):

• Keep desiccated; avoid repeated opening in humid environments. Consider storing in a desiccator or with desiccant packs after opening.
• Minimize light and heat exposure; store away from strong oxidants.
• Shelf life: Follow the date on the label; monitor for caking, discoloration, or odor changes as signs of degradation. Item-specific shelf life: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.

Reconstitution (general procedure; not item-specific):

• Reconstitute in purified water at the label-specified concentration (g/L). Heat to dissolve completely, then autoclave at 121 °C per SOP. Cool to 45–50 °C and aseptically add required selective supplements for PLET media (if used). Pour plates under sterile conditions.

Freeze–thaw guidance:

• Not applicable to the dehydrated product. For prepared plates, avoid freezing; for liquid medium, store as per lab SOP and use promptly to maintain performance.

Research Use Note: For research use only.

Structure & Identity

This product is a complex, dehydrated culture medium blend intended for microbiology research. It is not a single chemical entity and therefore lacks a unique molecular structure.

• Item type: Selective agar base (PLET Agar Base) intended to be supplemented (e.g., polymyxin B, lysozyme, EDTA, thallous acetate) before plating, per laboratory protocol (literature/general usage).
• Composition: Complex mixture typically including peptones/tryptones, yeast or meat extracts, salts, and agar as the gelling agent (literature/general). Exact formulation for this item: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Molecular formula: Not applicable to mixtures; Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Molecular weight: Not applicable to mixtures; Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• SMILES / InChI / InChIKey: Not applicable to mixtures.
• 2D structure (descriptive): Heterogeneous particulate solid composed of biogenic polymers (agar) and nutrient hydrolysates; no single definable 2D molecular structure.

Notes on identity (general knowledge):

• “PLET” refers to a selective system employing Polymyxin B, Lysozyme, EDTA, and Thallous acetate. PLET Agar Base provides the nutrient and agar matrix to which these selective agents are typically added (literature).

Synthetic Utility

Not applicable. PLET Agar Base is not used as a reagent or intermediate in chemical synthesis.

For researchers seeking chemistry-relevant information:

• If supplements require preparation (e.g., EDTA, polymyxin B, lysozyme), their stock solutions may involve standard buffer chemistry and sterile filtration; consult respective chemical/biochemical reagent documentation.
• Media preparation is a physico-chemical process (hydration, dissolution, sterilization, gelation) rather than a chemical transformation.

Target Specificity

Not applicable. This product is not an antibody, probe, or targeted binding reagent. It is a culture medium base. Any selectivity arises only after adding defined supplements (e.g., polymyxin B, lysozyme, EDTA, thallous acetate) per user protocol (literature/general). Item-specific selectivity data: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.