Improvement of the Pour Plate Method by Separate Sterilization of Agar and Other Medium Components and Reduction of the Agar Concentration
Inés Terrones-Fernandez, Pablo Casino, A. López, S. Peiró, Santiago Ríos, Anna Nardi-Ricart, E. García-Montoya, Daniel Asensio, Ana M. Marqués, R. Castilla, Pedro Javier Gamez-Montero, Núria Piqué
Abstract
In the era of rapid microbiological methods, there is a need to improve long-established culture techniques. Drawbacks of the pour plate method include having to melt each medium separately before seeding. For this technique, we demonstrate that separating the agar from the other components of commonly used media during sterilization and reducing the agar concentration to 10 g/L can enhance microbial growth. The new protocol could have advantages in routine laboratory practice because less agar is required and the same molten agar suspension can be used to prepare different media. Moreover, these modifications could facilitate the automation of the pour plate method.