Description
Pre-Poured MEA with Anti-Bacterial Compounds Petri Dishes
Malt Extract Agar (MEA) Petri dishes with anti-bacterial compounds, designed for mushroom cultivation. These plates arrive ready to use for germinating spores, isolating strains, cloning wild mushrooms and purifying mycelium, with an anti-bacterial compound that helps keep bacterial contamination in check.
What’s Included
- 10x or 5x 90mm Petri dishes pre-poured with MEA and anti-bacterial compounds, sealed snugly with or withoutย Parafilm.
Store your plates at room temperature. Do not refrigerate them until they have been colonised.
About the Petri Dish
These dishes are made from clear polystyrene, so you get a clean view of your cultures while keeping things disposable, durable and easy to handle. Each dish has an anti-slip ring for added stability and a comfortable grip, and they stack and store neatly.
What is MEAG?
MEAG (Malt Extract Agar with anti-bacterial compounds) is a firm, gel-based growing medium used to germinate, purify, isolate and work with mushroom mycelium. The anti-bacterial compound significantly reduces the chance of bacterial contamination taking hold.
These plates arrive 100% ready to inoculate with spores or mushroom mycelium. Their standout feature is the anti-bacterial compound, which has been shown to hold bacteria to a manageable level in agar mycelium cultures.
Spores often carry bacteria with them onto agar media. Because bacterial spores tend to germinate faster than mushroom spores, this bacterial contamination can outcompete the mushroom spores and stop them germinating altogether.
On MEAG, the mushroom spores are able to germinate and grow while the bacterial contamination is left behind. Mycelium cells (hyphae) grow as long, fine filaments that carry little to no bacteria with them as they extend across the medium.
Please note that these plates will not prevent non-bacterial contaminants such as mould or other competing fungi.
We recommend MEA with anti-bacterial compounds for:
- Germinating spores from a spore syringe or spore print, where contamination is a risk
- Isolating a specific strain of mushroom
- Cloning wild mushrooms
- Purifying mycelium from contaminated agar plates or liquid culture
Key Ingredients
Malt Extract: High in maltose, it provides a rich source of carbon, protein and nitrogenous compounds that fungi use as energy for growth.
Agar-Agar: Extracted from seaweeds such as gracilaria and gelidium, and completely free of animal ingredients. Its natural gelling strength and stability make it an ideal firming and thickening agent for Petri dish work.
Antibacterial compound
How to Use
A quick guide to get you started. Work cleanly, as contamination is far easier to prevent than to fix once it takes hold.
- Prepare your space. Wipe down your work surface with 70% isopropyl alcohol and minimise draughts. A still air box or flow hood is ideal, though a clean, still room can also work.
- Clean your hands and tools. Wash your hands, then wipe your gloves, syringe or scalpel with isopropyl alcohol.
- Inoculate. Lift the lid just enough to work, introduce your spores or a small piece of mycelium onto the agar surface, then close the lid promptly.
- Seal. Wrap the join between the lid and base with a strip of Parafilm. This helps keep contaminants out while still allowing some gas exchange.
- Label and incubate. Note the date and species, then keep the plates at room temperature and out of direct sunlight until they colonise. Storing them upside down helps keep condensation off the agar.
- Preserve. Once a plate is at least 60% colonised, you can refrigerate it to slow the mycelium down and preserve it.
Storage Guidelines
Before Inoculation
- Keep them in a cool, dry spot, such as a cupboard
- Avoid refrigeration, which can cause condensation to build up inside the dish
- Store the plates upside down so condensation does not settle on the agar surface
After Colonisation
- Refrigerate once a plate is at least 60% colonised, which slows the mycelium down and helps preserve it
- Label with the date and species, then store in a zip-lock bag to prevent moisture loss
- The crisper (vegetable) drawer is the best spot, as it tends to hold a steadier temperature and humidity than the rest of the fridge
Please note: the packaging sleeve is not a sterile seal, so proper storage is essential to maintaining plate quality.
Plate Shelf Life
These plates have a shelf life of 30 to 45 days. We recommend ordering as needed, as they cannot be stored indefinitely, even in their original packaging.
Plates may still be usable beyond this window, provided they have not been contaminated. If one plate becomes contaminated, it will not affect the others in the pack. Simply discard the affected plate and use the rest as normal.
Over longer storage, plates can lose moisture and turn stiff and papery. Only use plates that are still gelatinous and free of contamination. Discard any that have gone stiff or papery, as they will no longer support growth.
A bubble or a little condensation on a plate is nothing to worry about and does not affect quality.
Shipping Notice (December to February)
Please be aware that shipping agar plates through the summer months (December to February) can be particularly challenging in hot weather. If the temperature inside the package climbs above 40ยฐC, the plastic wrap or wax Parafilm used to seal the plates may melt, shrink or otherwise be compromised by the heat. A damaged seal allows airborne bacteria and mould spores to reach the agar surface, which increases the likelihood of contamination during transit.
During this period we are unable to offer replacements, as the same environmental conditions could lead to the same issue occurring again. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during these months.
Refund Policy
If your plates arrive damaged or contaminated:
- Contact us within 30 days of your order date
- Send a clear photo of the affected plates, along with the number of plates affected and your order number
- A refund will be issued once the issue has been verified
Please note that we only offer refunds for damaged or contaminated plates, not replacements, as the same shipping conditions may cause the same issue to recur.
Other Products
We offer other Pre-Poured Agar plates in our store.
You can also buy the Anti-Bacterial powder from our store, or grab one of our other pre-made Agar mixes to make your own agar plates.
