Equipment for Yeast Study

[passedpawn]

OMG, you guys are nuts.

 

[CA_Mouse]

OMG, you guys are nuts.

30 years of marriage will do that!

Seriously though, what is nuts about having such a great hobby that you can do so many things with?

 

[GQT]

I sold my diving gear - and that was quite some bulk of quite some tech diving stuff, so Meine Frau says no word about me spending on other things now. Why not grab a chance

 

[CA_Mouse]

My better half spends nearly as much as I do on her 'hobbies', so she doesn't question my purchases.

 

[passedpawn]

30 years of marriage will do that!

Seriously though, what is nuts about having such a great hobby that you can do so many things with?

I'll replace "nuts" with "rabid enthusiasts". I'm one too. I bought an olympus microscope, hemocytometer, stains, and assorted plating equipment a few years ago just for looking at yeast.

 

[GQT]

Yeah we are all yeast bitten
So is there anyone to come down with the shopping list for chem reagents?
:rockin:

 

[passedpawn]

I haven't gotten stain and could use a little guidance on what I should be looking for.

I bought the violet stain from White Labs. I also used Methylene Blue. I like the violet better, and I've been told it's a more reliable stain for assessing viability, but I don't really know why. If White Labs uses it, it's good enough for me

http://www.whitelabs.com/other-products/alkaline-methylene-violet-amv-stain-ma1422

They also have a full test kit, plus tons of equipment you can get directly from them.

http://www.whitelabs.com/other-products/gram-stain-kit-ma1500

 

[CA_Mouse]

Thanks passed. I ended up buy a full kit of 6 stains, since I will be using it for my daughter's education as well as my yeast/bacteria.

 

[CA_Mouse]

Got my microscope today. The rest of the 'lab' equipment will be here by week's end.

 

[passedpawn]

ooh shiney!

 

[GQT]

I wasn't buried under a landslide of suggestions. Either all gurus decided my question was way beneath the level, or I was too silly to ask such a trivial thing.

However, a new try...

1 - Gram Staining kit
2 - Methyl Blue
3 - Methyl Violet
4 -....
5 - .....
6 - ......

Can anyone add any reagent that might be of any use, or this list is in fact all we need?

Thanks.

 

[CA_Mouse]

I wasn't buried under a landslide of suggestions. Either all gurus decided my question was way beneath the level, or I was too silly to ask such a trivial thing.

However, a new try...

1 - Gram Staining kit
2 - Methyl Blue
3 - Methyl Violet
4 -....
5 - .....
6 - ......

Can anyone add any reagent that might be of any use, or this list is in fact all we need?

Thanks.

I can't answer directly as I've just started myself. I just ordered this one to try to cover all my bases.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0176WLTLI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

 

[GQT]

I can't answer directly as I've just started myself. I just ordered this one to try to cover all my bases.

Thanks! Do you know exactly which reagent goes for which purpose? I won't order from Amazon (insane delivery costs) but I can of course buy all them in local market. However perhaps there are some that we simply don't need at all.
Anyway, thank you, this is at least something to begin with. I will simple google all those reagents and see if they have anything to do with yeast.

 

[CA_Mouse]

I've been told that the Methylene Blue and Violet stains are the best for yeast/bacteria. I bought the entire kit because I've got two daughters that will be using the microscope for school as well.

 

[Warthaug]

I'm not sure a gram stain will help you much; any brewing bacteria that you want in there will be gram-positive; so unless something is very wrong with your brew-day, the gram-stain probably won't help you much. I'm not sure how good methyl blue will be, as is it primarily for histology of human tissues. Methyl violet is essentially crystal violet, which nicely stains both bacteria and fungi.

A simple stain such as crystal violet or malachite green can help to better observe bacterial and yeast morphology. I prefer malachite green as it doesn't require alcohol as a solvent and gives a deeper colour to the bacteria/yeast.

Another dye to consider is methylene blue (not to be confused with methyl blue), as it is a good dye for viability staining of yeast.

Bryan

 

[GQT]

Methyl violet.....

Thanks Bryan, well... gram kit is more for, errr, fun and pleasure while practicing skills at the same time. Besides, who knows what I can find in my brews!
Looks like we'll be just fine with as little as one chemical, tops two - for every possible need we might have.
Strangely, no one mentioned special agars like HLP and alike - they are unavailable in CHinese market anyway, and I don't think I'd buy them right away from America, but it'd be good to know all possible things we might need for whatever yeast and beer diagnostics.
I noticed there's a huge difference in price between same reagents from different producers (and of course imported stuff costs 5 to 10 times as much as local Chinese). Is there really any difference in performance that would justify paying so much more?

 

[Warthaug]

There isn't really any good reason to buy commercial microbiological media, not for the home-brewer. As you've noticed, they are not cheap. You may get slightly better growth of desired organisms, and may have slightly less risk of contamination from others, but given the cost difference its hard to argue for their use. The other thing to keep in mind is that some - including HLP - contain highly toxic compounds that need to be handled carefully. In contrast, home-brewed media such a malt-agar and potato-dextrose agar are completely safe.

Bryan

 

[sky4meplease]

What is the best way to clean agar/wort media from glass cylinders, flasks and pipettes?

 

[Warthaug]

Hot water and elbow grease

 

[Blue-Frog]

A Question about slant storage in general:

What are your thoughts on the effectivness/need for taping up slants? Arn't the autoclavable caps capable of giving a sufficient seal for dry-out protection?

So far I haven't been tape-sealing my slants; I just close, cover w/ aluminium, and place in a zip-lock, then refridgerate. (regular slants).

I thought I have seen some high-falutin' places just dust cover their closed slants and refridgerate, but I could have misunderstood what I was seeing.

Is taping a well sealed slant superfluous?

 

[CA_Mouse]

Is taping a well sealed slant superfluous?

I have been told several times that it may not be needed, but every little thing that we can do to prevent infection/dry out/cross contamination/spillage is worth the small time and expense that things, like taping add to storage. Even taping plates has been advised.

 

[sky4meplease]

It blows me away that they can sit for so long without tape or tightening the caps while propagating.
Positive pressure? CO2?

 

[Big Monk]

This is one of the best summaries of method and tools need to maintain yeast on slants and plates.

Reusable Borosilicate Screw Cap Glass Culture Tubes
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=24596

 

[Warthaug]

What are your thoughts on the effectivness/need for taping up slants? Arn't the autoclavable caps capable of giving a sufficient seal for dry-out protection?

Cap-seals are generally good for short-term storage; they are prone to failure and even when used properly leak slowly. Keep in mind that those seals have been designed to keep slants from leaking over short periods of time; the era of long-term bacterial/yeast storage on slants (in research/commercial circles) ended in the 1970's, as did the availability of tubes with appropriate seals.

It really comes down to your intended duration of storage and aversion to risk. A taped tube will allow in less oxygen (which for storage is bad), and reduce dehydration, compared to an untapped tube - both will improve the stability of the slant. In addition, it acts as a backup should your cap-seal fail or be faulty. A few cents worth of tape can save a "priceless" culture.

B

 

[GQT]

Question to those who know for sure: Would paraffin oil do for yeast immersion?
The books only state some "mineral oil"; looks like paraffin oil is the only sort of it that I can procure here without really serious search.
Thanks!

 

[Warthaug]

I'd be dubious about paraffin oil; its made of lower-weight carbon compounds and may have a solvent effect on the yeast (i.e. kill them).

 

[GQT]

I'd be dubious about paraffin oil

Pity... then maybe you could give me some name of the oil? I don't mean brand, I mean its sort/type/whatever proper name by which it can be searched.
Just "mineral oil" gives me a million pages all about automotive and industrial oils. Pharmaceutical grade and medical grade brought nearly zero results, at least none usable.
I need to know what to look for.

 

[CA_Mouse]

Pity... then maybe you could give me some name of the oil? I don't mean brand, I mean its sort/type/whatever proper name by which it can be searched.
Just "mineral oil" gives me a million pages all about automotive and industrial oils. Pharmaceutical grade and medical grade brought nearly zero results, at least none usable.
I need to know what to look for.

Shouldn't you be looking for immersion oil?

 

[Warthaug]

Pity... then maybe you could give me some name of the oil? I don't mean brand, I mean its sort/type/whatever proper name by which it can be searched.
Just "mineral oil" gives me a million pages all about automotive and industrial oils. Pharmaceutical grade and medical grade brought nearly zero results, at least none usable.
I need to know what to look for.

Light mineral oil is the technical name for it; AFAIK there is no other common name. You could search for a manufacturer/supplier in your area by searching for "pharmaceutical grade", "USP grade" or "cosmetic mineral oil".

In reply to CA_Mouse, immersion oil is lens oil for microscopes; you wouldn't want to use that - very expensive, and I don't think it would work.

Bryan

 

[CA_Mouse]

Light mineral oil is the technical name for it; AFAIK there is no other common name. You could search for a manufacturer/supplier in your area by searching for "pharmaceutical grade", "USP grade" or "cosmetic mineral oil".

In reply to CA_Mouse, immersion oil is lens oil for microscopes; you wouldn't want to use that - very expensive, and I don't think it would work.

Bryan

I may have missed something here... Is GQT looking for oil for storage or for using with a microscope? If for using with a microscope, I was under the impression that the only oil to use was immersion oil. If for storage, then I guess I need to read up on that technique.