I found this while searching dont know if it will help or not.:
PART 4: Send Yeast Through the Mail!
The following technique is reproduced as is from the pages of the HBD; it sounds like and interesting and useful method. Now, if someone could only figure out how to send yeast by e-mail!
From:
[email protected]
Subject: Mailing Strains
... I thought it worth mentioning that there is a cheaper alternative to agar slants for mailing strains, and it works just as well. We routinely send out laboratory strains on filter paper. Basically, you just put a drop of culture on a ~1 cm square piece of filter paper (probably any absorbent paper would do) and wrap the square in a piece of sterile foil. Then pop it into an envelope and send it off. When it gets to the other side, they drop the paper on a rich media plate, incubate for a day or so, and the yeast grow up. Then you streak for singles on another plate and you're set. I haven't rigorously determined the viability of cells dried on paper, but they are very stable. It works.
I can think of two possible disadvantages to this system. First, we use autoclaved paper and foil, and a surprising number of households STILL lack an autoclave. However, while commercial paper is probably not sterile, I imagine it is pretty close; the yeast are going to far outnumber anything else, and when you streak for singles you will get what you want. The foil you could always steam, but probably it would also be close enough to sterile for most people's purposes. The second drawback is that this method requires that you are set up to culture, and to streak for singles in particular. However, while this isn't absolutely necessary in the case of slants, it is certainly advisable. Anyway, just thought I'd throw it out there. Dave Rose Dept. of Cellular and Developmental Biology Harvard U.
Story time:
