Can yeast be stored under glycerin instead of mineral oil?

Hello,

I live in Sweden, so have taken to brewing beer as it's SO expensive here! I have just finished reading Chris White & Jamil Zainasheffs great book on yeast, and want to culture up some yeast from some beers smuggled in from the UK.

My freezer's not suitable, or big enough for that matter, so want to store in the fridge. However, I cannot find mineral oil anywhere, so was wondering if I could store slants with glycerin instead?? I think the oil is to minimise the oxygen contact, and would think glycerin would do the same thing, but would like some expert advise first!

Thanks

Rob

Never tried covering the slants with glycerin, but you can just slant without the mineral oil overlay. Your slants will still last 6-12 months.

Over here in North America mineral oil is available almost everywhere. It is used in many hobbies, electronics, mechanics, and personal cosmetics. I think if you started your slants without the mineral oil, then while they are incubating for a few days for proper growth you should be able to find some. If you can't it is not a big deal.

Glycerin is used for freezing yeast, so I don't see why not.

I'm thinking about giving it a go to see. Will make up normal slants and then one each with glycerine and trying it in about a year or eighteen months and post the findings, this shouldn't be too difficult as I don't get to brew nearly as much as I'd like.

Rob

the point of using glycerin is to regulate the freezing and crystal formation in the solution to minimize cleaving of the yeast cells.

I have read/heard glycerin can be toxic to yeast if left to be metabolized (not metabolized when frozen), but I don't know what concentration of glycerin would be required to damage the culture beyond recovery.

Thanks Randar,

Hmm, I think mineral oil is a big no no in Sweden, and I wouldn't have a clue how to work out the right concentration of glycerin to keep the yeast going.

Now, please feel free to call me stupid, but what about olive oil?? There seems to be some research done on using it instead of oxygenating the wort as it has the correct fatty acids to help glycogen to build up. You add yeast nutrient to the slant mix anyway, so would it be a crazy idea to use olive oil instead of mineral oil, kind of keep it on a life support?

Cheers

Rob

Why not just do the slant as normal, since they keep for 3-6 months?