YSG Agar Medium Base - BioReagent

Cat. No.: Y1528520

GRADE & PURITY BioReagent

Storage

Room temperature

Shipped In

Normal

Vue d’ensemble

For detection of thermoacidophilic bacteria; pH must be adjusted using 1N sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acid

Specifications

Spécifications et pureté

BioReagent

Conditions de stockage de stockage

Room temperature

Expédié en

Normal

Grade

BioReagent

Product Line

biological_products

Application Protocols

No item-specific, validated protocols are provided. Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.

General/literature preparation protocol (for guidance only):

1. Weigh an appropriate amount of dehydrated medium base into a heat-resistant flask (typical working range for agar media: 30–50 g per liter of water; actual amount for this product is Not specified).
2. Add cold purified water; swirl to disperse. Heat with stirring until the solution boils gently and becomes clear.
3. Autoclave at 121 °C for ~15 minutes. Allow to cool to ~50–55 °C.
4. If required, aseptically add sterile-filtered heat-labile supplements (antibiotics, indicators, blood, etc.). Mix gently.
5. Pour plates (~20–25 mL per 90–100 mm dish). Allow to solidify. Dry plates if necessary in a laminar-flow hood to remove surface moisture.
6. Store inverted plates in sealed sleeves at 2–8 °C. Warm to room temperature before use. Check for contamination and dehydration prior to use.

Controls: Include sterility controls and growth-promotion tests appropriate to your organisms and application.

Biological Roles

This product is not a single biomolecule with a defined physiological role. Instead, it functions as a nutrient and physical support matrix for cultivating microorganisms in vitro.

General/literature perspective:

• Nutritional support: Complex media bases typically provide peptides, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and carbon sources that support the growth of a broad spectrum of bacteria and/or fungi.
• Physical support: The agar component forms a semi-solid gel on cooling, enabling spatial separation of colonies from individual cells and facilitating isolation and quantification (CFU assays).
• Colony phenotype expression: Media composition and agar concentration influence colony size, pigmentation, enzyme expression with indicators, and motility.
• Supplement compatibility: Heat-labile biological components (e.g., blood, growth factors, antibiotics) can be added aseptically to cooled, sterilized medium (~50–55 °C) to tailor growth conditions for specific organisms.

Item-specific organism spectrum, nutrient sources, and recommended supplements are Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet. Use in vitro only. For research use only.

Buffer Applications

This product is not a buffering reagent per se. However, agar media often include intrinsic or added buffering capacity to help maintain pH during microbial growth.

• Applicability: Limited. If pH control is critical, combine the agar base with an appropriate buffer system during preparation (e.g., phosphate, MOPS, HEPES), chosen according to the organism and desired pH range (literature/general).
• Practical tips (general):
  • Prepare the buffer in water first, adjust to the target pH at room temperature, then add the medium base and dissolve prior to sterilization.
  • Many Good’s buffers are heat-stable but verify stability of your chosen buffer and supplements during autoclaving; sterile-filter heat-labile components and add after cooling to ~50–55 °C.

Item-specific pH targets, buffering system, or preparation instructions are Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.

Green Alternatives

While “green chemistry” comparisons are more typical for organic solvents and reagents, media preparation also affords sustainability choices (literature/general):

• Resource sourcing: Agar is derived from red algae; consider suppliers with responsible, traceable seaweed harvesting and processing to reduce ecological impact.
• Energy use: Autoclaving is energy-intensive. Batch larger volumes to improve energy efficiency; use validated cycle times to avoid over-sterilization.
• Waste minimization: Prepare only the volume needed; store molten medium appropriately to avoid remelting cycles. Decontaminate spent plates by autoclaving before disposal; segregate plastics for appropriate waste streams.
• Alternatives to agar: Gellan gum or plant-based gelling agents can provide defined composition and potentially reduced batch-to-batch variability; however, they may require specific cation control and can be more expensive. Agar provides robust gels with simple preparation but is compositionally complex.

Small comparison (literature/general):

• Agar: Renewable biopolymer; easy to use; strong gels; marine sourcing considerations.
• Gellan gum: Microbial fermentation-derived; high clarity; tunable texture; may need precise ionic conditions.

Note: No item-specific environmental certifications or claims are provided. Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.

Pharmaceutical Uses

No therapeutic or clinical claims are made. In the context of pharmaceutical quality control and manufacturing support (literature/general):

• Role: Agar media are widely used for environmental monitoring, bioburden testing, sterility testing, and microbial limit tests in nonclinical/industrial settings.
• Supplementation: Selective agents, antibiotics, or neutralizers may be incorporated to recover specific microorganism groups or to neutralize residual disinfectants during environmental monitoring.
• Compliance: Specific pharmacopeial media (e.g., USP/EP/JP formulations) have defined compositions and performance criteria. This product does not state compliance; suitability must be verified by the user. Item-specific pharmacopeial status is Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Documentation: Maintain lot traceability, growth-promotion testing records, and sterility checks for each batch of poured plates used in regulated workflows.

This product is designated For research use only; users in regulated environments should assess fitness for purpose and document qualification.

Physical Properties

As a dehydrated agar medium base, properties are those of a complex solid mixture rather than a pure compound.

Item-specific values:

• Appearance: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Density, melting/boiling point, refractive index, logP, pKa: Not applicable/not defined for complex mixtures; Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Solubility: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.

General/literature characteristics for agar-containing media (for guidance only):

• Physical form: Free-flowing, tan to off-white powder that hydrates in water with heating (literature/general).
• Solubility/dispersion: Disperses in cold water; dissolves upon heating to near boiling; forms a firm gel on cooling at typical use levels of ~1.2–2.0% w/v agar (literature).
• Gelation: Agar gels typically set around 35–40 °C and melt around 85–95 °C; strong thermal hysteresis (literature).
• Typical working concentration: Total medium solids commonly 30–50 g/L depending on formulation and application; exact charge for this product is Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• pH: Target preparation pH (at 25 °C) is formulation-dependent; Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.

Practical notes (general): Gently heat with frequent swirling to avoid scorching. Use caution to control foaming; defoam by brief cooling and gentle agitation prior to autoclaving.

Quality and Grades

• Item grade: BioReagent (item-specific). This denotes suitability for general biological research applications, prepared to a quality level supporting reproducible microbial culture and routine laboratory workflows.

What BioReagent typically implies (literature/general):

• Controlled raw materials and manufacturing processes to limit lot-to-lot variability in nutrient profile and gelling performance.
• Microbiological quality controls such as low bioburden of the dehydrated powder and growth-promotion testing of representative organisms on finished medium (test organisms and acceptance criteria are manufacturer-specific; Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet).
• Trace contaminant controls suitable for research. This is not necessarily equivalent to clinical/diagnostic or pharmacopeial grades unless explicitly stated (not stated here).

Stabilizers/antimicrobials:

• No item-specific stabilizers or inhibitors are indicated. Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.

Performance considerations:

• Gel strength, clarity, and colony morphology support are critical attributes for agar media. Exact gel strength (g/cm²), ash content, and moisture are Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.

Recommendation: For regulated applications, request the current Certificate of Analysis/Specification Sheet to verify lot-specific performance, pH targets, and growth-promotion results.

Reaction and Applications

Chemical reaction usage is not typical for an agar medium base. Instead, this product is used to prepare solid microbiological media. Applications (literature/general):

• Microbial cultivation: Preparation of plates for isolation, maintenance, and enumeration of bacteria, yeasts, or fungi appropriate to the medium’s nutrient profile.
• Clone selection and screening: Supports colony formation for genetic selection when supplemented with antibiotics, indicators, or selective agents as required by experimental design.
• Morphology studies: Agar concentration can be tuned to study colony morphology, motility (e.g., semi-solid 0.3–0.5% agar for swarming/chemotaxis assays), and biofilm formation.
• Environmental microbiology: Plating of environmental samples to obtain pure cultures.
• Teaching and QC labs: Routine streaking, slant preparation, and plate counts.

Practical notes (general guidance):

• Rehydration and sterilization: Disperse in water, heat to dissolve, and autoclave at 121 °C for ~15 min unless otherwise specified. Cool to ~50–55 °C before adding heat-labile supplements (antibiotics, dyes). Pour plates at ~45–50 °C to minimize condensation.
• Supplementation: This base can be combined with selective agents (e.g., bile salts, antibiotics), carbohydrates, or indicators according to application; compatibility and concentrations are supplement-specific.
• Quality verification: Perform growth-promotion testing with positive-control strains relevant to your application and include sterility controls for each batch of poured plates.

Item-specific organism suitability and supplement recommendations are Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.

Reaction Conditions

Classical reaction-condition parameters (solvent, catalysts, stoichiometry) do not apply. For medium preparation, consider the following general preparation conditions (literature/general):

• Hydration and dissolution: Disperse the dehydrated medium base in purified water with vigorous stirring. Heat to near boiling to fully dissolve the agar component.
• Sterilization: Autoclave at 121 °C for ~15 minutes (gravity or liquid cycle as appropriate). Do not over-autoclave as prolonged heating can caramelize sugars and alter performance.
• Cooling and supplementation: Allow sterilized medium to cool to ~50–55 °C before adding sterile-filtered, heat-labile supplements (antibiotics, indicators, nutrients). Mix gently to avoid bubble incorporation.
• Plate pouring: Pour into sterile Petri dishes at ~45–50 °C. Aim for 20–25 mL per standard 90–100 mm plate. Let solidify at room temperature with lids ajar in a clean environment to minimize condensation.
• Storage of prepared plates: Invert and store in sealed sleeves or bags at 2–8 °C to limit dehydration; typical shelf life is method- and supplement-dependent (not item-specific).

Item-specific reconstitution concentration, pH targets, and sterilization instructions are Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.

Safety and Handling

Always consult the SDS for authoritative safety and regulatory information.

Item-specific hazard data:

• Signal word: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet/SDS.
• GHS classification/pictograms/H-statements: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet/SDS.

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

• Hazards: Nuisance dust; may cause mechanical irritation to eyes/respiratory tract. Hot, freshly sterilized agar poses burn/scald risk.
• PPE: Laboratory coat, safety glasses, and suitable gloves. Use a dust mask or respirator if dust generation cannot be controlled.
• Handling: Avoid creating dust clouds. Add powder slowly to water with stirring. When melting or sterilizing, use vessels with headspace to prevent boil-over. Vent caps loosely during autoclaving to avoid pressure buildup.
• Incompatibilities: Strong oxidizers may degrade organic components. Avoid contact with strong acids/bases that can hydrolyze/glycosylate medium components (general guidance).
• Sterilization: Autoclave prepared medium at 121 °C for ~15 minutes (literature/general) unless manufacturer specifies otherwise.
• First aid (general): Inhalation—move to fresh air. Eye contact—rinse cautiously with water. Skin contact—wash with soap and water. Ingestion—rinse mouth. Seek medical attention if symptoms persist.
• Spill response: Avoid dust; sweep/vacuum using HEPA or wet methods to minimize airborne particulates.

Waste: Dispose according to institutional biosafety procedures; autoclave biologically contaminated plates/broths before disposal.

Solvent Selection

This product is formulated to be reconstituted in water; organic solvent selection is not applicable.

• Primary solvent: Purified/deionized water (laboratory grade). Do not use organic solvents.
• Miscibility: Designed for aqueous dissolution and gelation; agar requires heating to fully dissolve before gelling upon cooling (literature/general).
• Water quality: Use freshly prepared, oxygenated water of appropriate purity (e.g., ASTM Type II or better) to minimize variability from ions or organics that can affect microbial growth and gel strength (general guidance).
• pH adjustment: Only if specified by the manufacturer’s directions for this product. For this item, target pH is Not specified; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.

Comparison to alternatives (literature/general):

• Agar vs. gellan gum: Agar provides strong, thermally hysteretic gels; gellan offers clearer gels and defined composition but may require cation control.
• Rich agar bases vs. minimal agar: Rich bases support fastidious organisms and higher colony yields; minimal bases enable selection and metabolic studies. Selection depends on organism and experimental goals.

Tip: Dissolve powder in cold water with vigorous stirring, then bring to a near-boil to achieve full dissolution before sterilization. Filter sterilization is generally unsuitable due to gelation upon cooling.

Storage and Reconstitution

Item-specific storage and shipping:

• Storage conditions: Room temperature (as provided in Product Data). Keep container tightly closed and protected from moisture and contamination.
• Shipped in: Normal (ambient) conditions (as provided in Product Data).

General reconstitution and handling guidance (literature/general):

• Reconstitution solvent: Purified/deionized water only.
• Typical preparation: Disperse the powder in water, heat to dissolve completely, then sterilize by autoclaving (121 °C, ~15 min). Allow to cool to ~50–55 °C before adding heat-labile supplements and pouring plates.
• Concentration: Working concentration depends on the specific formulation and intended application. For this product, exact grams per liter are Not specified; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Storage of prepared medium: Store solidified plates inverted in sealed sleeves at 2–8 °C to minimize desiccation; avoid freezing. Liquid, molten medium can be held at 45–50 °C (water bath) for several hours; prolonged holding may degrade performance.
• Freeze–thaw: Not applicable for dehydrated powder; avoid repeated heat–cool cycles of prepared medium to maintain gel quality.

Always consult the product’s CoA/Spec Sheet for lot-specific preparation parameters (g/L, target pH, and performance criteria). For research use only.

Structure and Identity

This product is a complex, dehydrated culture medium base formulated for preparing solid microbiological media; it is not a single, well-defined small molecule.

• Product type: Complex microbiological medium (agar medium base) for solid plate preparation
• Molecular formula: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Molecular weight: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• SMILES: Not applicable (mixture/complex medium)
• InChIKey: Not applicable (mixture/complex medium)
• CAS: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Structural features (general):
  • Contains a gelling polysaccharide fraction (agar) and nutrient components typical of rich media bases (literature/general).
  • As a heterogeneous mixture, it lacks a single 2D molecular structure; instead, it comprises polysaccharides and digest-derived peptides/other nutrients (literature/general).
• Identity confirmation (general practice):
  • Performance-based identification by growth-promotion testing of representative microorganisms and gelation characteristics; label/lot-specific composition and performance are confirmed by the manufacturer’s specifications (literature/general).

Note: Item-specific compositional breakdown, pH targets, and performance specifications are Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.

Synthetic Utility

This product is a culture medium base, not a synthetic organic reagent. As such, it has no typical role in chemical synthesis, catalysis, or building-block transformations.

Relevant laboratory utility (literature/general):

• As a solid matrix for screening microbial biocatalysts producing target metabolites or expressing enzymes on solid media.
• For plating transformants in molecular biology workflows when combined with selection markers and indicators.

For applications requiring defined chemical reactivity or stoichiometric use in synthesis, select appropriate chemical reagents rather than a culture medium.

Target Specificity

Not applicable. This product is not a biochemical probe, antibody, or affinity reagent with target specificity. It is a general culture medium base. Any organism selectivity arises from the overall nutrient and inhibitor composition of the final prepared medium plus supplements, which are Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.