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• Anaerobic Systems
• Antibiotic Sensitivity Testing
• Culture Media, Supplements and Raw Materials
• • Are there any guidelines for preparation and reconstitution of culture media?
  • Are there any guidelines for sterilising culture media?
  • Can I prepare culture media in a microwave?
  • Can I store selective supplements after reconstitution?
  • How can I re-melt solid media?
  • How long can I store culture media after preparation?
  • How should I dispose of used culture media?
  • How should I test the pH of culture media?
  • My culture medium does not look right - what has gone wrong?
  • My culture medium is not performing correctly - what has gone wrong?
  • Should I boil media before autoclaving?
  • What are the main components of culture media?
  • What exactly is agar?
  • What grade of water should I use to prepare culture media?
  • What is the shelf life of dehydrated culture media after the pot has been opened?
  • What quality control testing should I carry out on culture media?
  • Which blood product should I choose to make blood agar?
• Diagnostic Reagents
• Dipslides
• General
• Toxin Detection

Most autoclavable media can be satisfactorily re-melted by autoclaving. Free steaming is preferred as it reduces the chances of overheating. Overheating can cause a pH drop or a reduction in gel strength of the final medium.

Steaming for 20-25 minutes should ensure that a 100 ml volume is fully re-melted. If free-steaming is not possible, an autoclave cycle of 5-15 minutes at 121°C may be used.

Selective agar products should not be re-melted. Further heating may reduce the selectivity of the medium, as many selective components are heat labile. Antibiotic supplements can be added after the base medium has been re-melted.

It is advised that positive and negative controls are employed in order to verify medium performance.