Description
Create Your Own MEAG Agar Petri Dishes, Contamination-Free
General MEAG with Antibacterial Powder Information
This premium product is revolutionizing mushroom cultivation. MEA with antibacterial powder is a gelatinous medium used to purify, germinate, isolate, and manipulate mushroom mycelium, drastically reducing contamination chances due to its antibacterial compound.
We recommend MEAG with Antibacterial Powder for:
- Germinating spores
- Isolating specific mushroom strains
- Purifying mycelium from other contaminated agar plates
- Cloning wild mushroom tissue, which is likely to be contaminated
Why use MEAG instead of just MEA?
Spores obtained from wild, homegrown, or trusted spore sellers might include bacterial contamination due to methods of spore collection, preservation, and transportation (such as spore syringes and spore prints). When infected spores are introduced to Agar media, fast-growing bacterial spores can hinder mushroom spore germination.
However, when infected spores are introduced to MEAG, the mushroom spores can germinate and grow, leaving behind bacterial contamination. This is because the cells composing the mycelium (hyphae) have long and sharp filaments, which carry reduced populations (if any) of bacteria as they pass through the MEAG.
Please note that MEAG is different from MYA. MYA includes yeast, while MEA is Malt Extract and Agar only.
For more information, visit our Pre-Poured Agar Plates section and become an expert.
MYA is more prone to contamination because yeast is highly nutritious and thus not recommended for germinating spores or cloning mushrooms. Therefore, MEAG is an excellent product for cloning or germinating spores.
Quantity specifications:
These quantities are measured based on 60*15mm size Petri dishes:
The number of plates made will vary according to pouring techniques; we recommend using just enough to cover the surface of the petri dish.
- 21 gm makes 35 Agar Plates (Use 500ml of hot water)
- 42 gm makes 70 Agar Plates (Use 1000ml of hot water)
- 63 gm makes 105 Agar Plates (Use 1500ml of hot water)
- 84 gm makes 140 Agar Plates (Use 2000ml of hot water)
- 168gm makes 280 Agar Plates (Use 4000ml of hot water)
Instructions
- Dissolve your MEAG packet in the specified ratio of hot water (e.g., 1000 ml water for 42 g of MEAG) and stir thoroughly with a spoon. If you have a magnetic stirrer, it will mix the solution properly. The content needs to be poured slowly, not all at once.
- Autoclave or pressure cook for 15 minutes at 15 psi.
- Pour into Petri dishes when it reaches 50 degrees Celsius (approximately hot enough to hold the flask/jar with one hand), and let it set for 10 minutes. Do not stir the solution after removing it from the autoclave, as this would trap air bubbles.
- Once the Petri dishes are set, inoculate them and wrap them with parafilm. It is recommended to set the plates aside for a week to check for contamination.
- Petri dishes are best stored upside down to avoid condensation.
Don’t have a pressure cooker? No problem; message us, and we will send you detailed instructions on how to use a microwave for sterilizing along with your purchase. Please check our listing Make Agar Plates to see what you need. You would need a reagent bottle: a 500 ml reagent bottle if made in a microwave or a 1000 ml reagent bottle if using a sterilizer.
We rely on this mix to experiment with different varieties in our lab.
Check out our other listings to add liquid cultures and see more pre-mixes. We also sell other types of mushroom-growing equipment.
You can also buy just the Antibacterial Powder from our store.
