Culture Media

Purpose: A recipe for bacterial culture media. 

Materials: 

                5 potatoes 
                2 bouillon cubes 
              15 grams of agar 
                1 liter of water 
                2 2 quart pans (one can be a bowl) 
                1 strainer 
              20-50 petri dishes 
              (or more depending on the size of petri dishes selected) 
 
Procedure: 
 
    1. Boil five peeled potatoes for 25 minutes. 

    2. Strain the potatoes.  SAVE the water. 

    3. Put a liter of the potato water in the 2 quart pan. 

    4. Add two bouillon cubes and 15 grams of agar. 

    5. Bring to a boil, making sure the agar and bouillon cubes are completely dissolved. Cool slightly.

    6. Pour the very warm liquid (but not boiling) media into the petri dishes, 

      filling each dish approximately one half full. 
      Cover each petri dish immediately after filling to prevent contamination. 

    7. Carefully set aside in a clean, protected location.  Allow the petri dishes to cool. 

DO NOT lift the lids until you are ready to do your experiments to avoid contamination. 
Use within a few days. 
 
 
© 1996, 1997 Norman & Globus, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced, translated, transmitted, framed or stored in a retrieval system for public or private use without the written permission of the publisher.