culturing microorganisms

• culturing:

  • to grow a microorganism in a lab
  • medium contains carbohydrates for energy, minerals, proteins, and vitamins
• nutrient broth solution (to culture):

  • making a suspension of bacteria and mixing with sterile nutrient broth
  • culture medium is nutrient broth
  • flask is stoppered and shook regularly
• agar gel plate (to culture):

  • agar acts as a culture medium
  • sterilized agar jelly poured in a petri dish
  • inoculating loops dipped in a solution of microorganism and spread over agar
  • a lid is taped on and the plate is incubated
• why sterilizing:

  • done by uv light or heat
  • prevent contamination
• why sealed lid:

  • stops airborne microorganisms from contaminating
  • should not be sealed all the way - they need oxygen ; don't want anaerobic respiration
• binary fission:

  • how bacteria multiply
  • multiply very fast
  • bacteria at beginning * 2^number of divisions = bacteria at the end