Raw material · Gelling agent
Agar Powder, Reagent Grade – raw material for culture media
Agar Powder, Reagent Grade – agar is the gelling agent of solid culture media. It is a polysaccharide from red seaweed that dissolves in boiling water and sets as a firm, clear gel at about 40 °C, so that it stays solid at usual incubation temperatures.
- Gelling agent for solid media
- Dissolves in boiling water
- Clear, firm gel
How Agar Powder works
Agar is not used as a nutrient by most bacteria. Its gel strength, clarity and low content of inhibitory substances determine how well colonies grow and how easy they are to count.
Technical data
| Solubility | Soluble in boiling water, insoluble in cold water |
| Storage | Dark, dry place; keep the container tightly closed |
| Shelf life | 3 years |
Applications and practical notes
Raw materials are used to prepare culture media in-house, to modify standard formulations and in fermentation and bioprocess media. Typical applications include:
- Preparation of culture media from single components
- Fermentation and bioprocess media
- Research and method development
- Production of media in larger volumes
Working with Agar Powder: Add agar to the medium before heating, bring it to the boil with stirring until fully dissolved and adjust the concentration to the gel strength of the lot.
Good practice with media and supplements: keep the bottle tightly closed in a cool, dry place, weigh the powder quickly to avoid moisture uptake, and use fresh distilled or deionised water. Check the pH of each new batch after preparation and before use, and label prepared media with the date. Performance of each lot can be verified with reference strains according to ISO 11133, the standard for the preparation, production, storage and performance testing of culture media.
About culture media raw materials: the performance of a culture medium depends on the quality and consistency of its ingredients – peptones and extracts provide nitrogen, vitamins and growth factors, agar the gel, and bile salts or deoxycholate the selectivity. Laboratories that prepare their own media, and producers of media and fermentation broths, verify each new lot of raw material with reference strains according to ISO 11133. COLO.Science supplies raw materials in laboratory and bulk packs together with ready-made dehydrated media.
Complete sets from one supplier: COLO.Science supplies culture media, supplements, rapid tests, identification kits and QC strains as complete sets for the method you follow. Send us your sample types and standards, and we will prepare an offer with the matching products and documentation.
Agar Powder is supplied by COLO.Science in the pack sizes listed under Ordering information. For larger quantities, regular deliveries or method-specific sets that include Agar Powder, please send us a request. With every delivery of Agar Powder you receive the lot number and expiry date, and on request we send the available documentation for Agar Powder.
Where Agar Powder fits in culture media preparation
- Gelling agents – bacteriological, reagent and technical grade agar
- Nitrogen sources – peptones, tryptone, soy peptone, proteose peptone, polypeptone and casein hydrolysates
- Growth factors – yeast extract, beef extract and malt extract
- Selective and special components – bile salts, sodium deoxycholate, soy lecithin, casein and lactose
Ordering information
| Product | COLO code | Pack |
|---|---|---|
| Agar Powder, Reagent Grade | PRO7752 | 250 g |
Product notice: preparation, storage conditions and shelf life are given on the label. Technical data on this page are for orientation; the label and the lot documentation apply. B2B prices are quoted net, excluding VAT.
Sales and technical support
COLO LabExperts
Polje ob Sotli 4, SI-3255, Slovenia
Quotations and technical support for culture media and microbiology products across our international sales territory. B2B prices are net, excluding VAT.
COLO.SCIENCE | MICROBIOLOGY SUPPORT
Need the complete set for your method?
Send the sample type, target organism and the standard you follow. COLO.Science will put together the media, supplements, QC strains and confirmation tests for the whole procedure.
