Description
Antibacterial Powder for Agar Petri Dishes and Mushroom Cultivation
THIS PRODUCT IS ONLY TO BE USED FOR MYCOLOGY PURPOSES AND NOT ON HUMANS OR ANIMALS.
Your purchase includes:
- 1g of Antibacterial Powder (Autoclavable) – Gentamicin
Note: Agar Mix and Petri Dishes are not included. Visit our other listings to add items to your order.
What is Antibacterial Powder?
This powder is an antibiotic commonly used to treat bacterial infections. In agar mycelium cultures, it has been shown to inhibit bacteria to a manageable level. It is used to purify, germinate, isolate, and manipulate mushroom mycelium, drastically reducing contamination due to its antibacterial properties. Its key feature is that it is autoclave resistant, making it easy for cultivators to use.
How does this powder work?
In many cases, spores are infected with bacteria that they carry to the agar medium. This results in fast-growing bacterial spores that hinder mushroom spore germination. Even if mushroom spores germinate, the mycelium may contain bacterial infections, increasing contamination risks when transferring from agar to grains, other agar plates, or liquid culture.
When infected spores are introduced to an agar medium with this antibacterial powder, the mushroom spores will germinate and grow, leaving behind bacterial contamination. This is because the mycelium’s cells (hyphae) have long, sharp filaments that carry reduced bacterial populations when passing through the antibacterial powder.
Main Uses of Antibacterial Powder in Agar Plates:
- Purifying contaminated agar plates (through agar transfer)
- Autoclave resistant (added to agar mix prior to inoculation)
- Germinating spores from a spore syringe or spore print likely to be contaminated
- Cloning wild mushroom tissue likely to be contaminated
Instructions for Making Agar Mix with Antibacterial Powder for Petri Dishes:
- Add 0.05g (1/20th of a gram) of this antibacterial powder to your agar mix for every 42g of agar mix (MEA/MYA/PDA, etc.).
- Boil 1000ml of hot water (for 42g of agar mix) and pour your antibacterial agar mix into it.
- Stir thoroughly with a spoon. Pour the content slowly and not all at once.
- Autoclave or pressure cook for 20 minutes at 15 psi.
- Pour into Petri dishes when the temperature reaches 50 degrees Celsius (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 Petri dishes are set, inoculate them and wrap them with parafilm. Preferably, inoculate them after 3 days to ensure no contamination in the agar plates.
- Petri dishes are best stored upside down to avoid condensation.
We have relied on this mix to experiment in our lab using different varieties, and it has greatly reduced contamination.
Check out our other listings to add mycelium cultures, fully colonized agar plates, and pre-poured agar plates. We also sell other mushroom-growing equipment.
Since only 1/20th of a gram is used per batch, this will last a long time, making it a one-off buy for many home growers. If you think you will not use this quantity, we also offer pre-mixed Malt Extract Agar (MEA) and Malt Yeast Extract Agar (MYA) with antibacterial powder.
Free Shipping Australia-Wide and Easy Return Policy
We offer free postage Australia-wide and an easy refund policy if you are unsatisfied with the product. Our highest priority is ensuring the most pleasant experience for our customers.
Feel free to contact us for further information; we are happy to help you on your mushroom journey.
