Yeast banking question

[oooFishy]

I've just accumulated just about everything I need to start my own yeast bank: stir plate, 15ml plastic tubes, sterile water, and glycerol. I even managed to find a cheap centrifuge.

However, when I received the bottle of glycerol off ebay, it had already been opened, and about half of it was gone. My question is this: Should I be worried about it being non-sterile and ruining stored strains? I know if I had a pressure cooker I could sterile it along with the vials, but I don't, and the vials I'm using are plastic, not glass.

I was thinking of adding some to a small sterile starter (yeast free) to see if any bacteria would grow.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[joejoe1881]

I would never used any open chemical container. Most likely everythings fine, but you have no way of telling if anythings been tampered with. I'd buy another bottle, I bought mine from McMaster-Carr if you can't find it locally.

 

[beerthirty]

I got my glycerin at Wal Mart. If you plan on a serious bank you really need to sterilize both vials and glycerin. If the vials wont handle the heat you might be able to use an U.V. oven. I have seen them on ebay. Cosmetologists use them to sterilize fingernail tools I think.

 

[brewgrl]

I`m a grad student in a yeast lab and we always filter sterilize our glycerol solutions--you can get filters that screw onto the ends of syringes and then you just run the solution through the filter.

I definitely wouldn`t use an open container without some kind of sterilization--plus, you don`t know if they`ve been using nasty chemicals with the glycerol--don`t poison yourself with ebay stuff!!

 

[Kilgore_Trout]

I got my glycerin at Wal Mart. If you plan on a serious bank you really need to sterilize both vials and glycerin. If the vials wont handle the heat you might be able to use an U.V. oven. I have seen them on ebay. Cosmetologists use them to sterilize fingernail tools I think.

U.V. ovens are tough to find used, but when you can you can get a good deal.

I wouldn't trust ANYTHING that's been opened to be sterile, especially not something I bought secondhand.

Test it before you use it IMO.

 

[raceskier]

I have one of these:
Germ Eliminator portable germicidal lamp @ Williams Brewing

It has instructions and test data for surface sterilizing. Not sure what kind of exposure times would be needed to sanitize/sterilize fluids.

 

[beerthirty]

Just place the light and all your supplies in a cardboard box. Close it up and the next morning you should be good to go. Instant UV oven. Make sure nothing is shaded in the box or that might not get sterilized.

 

[Piotr]

It has instructions and test data for surface sterilizing. Not sure what kind of exposure times would be needed to sanitize/sterilize fluids.

Can you give us examples of exposure times for this device? Is it minutes or hours?

I have just installed big 30W UV ceiling lamp in my brewhouse, for air sanitation, I wonder in I could use it for equipement sanitation as well...

 

[raceskier]

From William's website:

"Just place the Germ Eliminator within a half inch of the item to be sanitized, turn it on, and wait ten seconds to kill 99% or more of surface bacteria and wild yeast."

I'd be careful about eye protection if you have that UV ceiling lamp on all of the time. I use some total UV blockage glasses when using the small lamp.