How long can bacterial and mammalian cell culture media be stored?

[sotellme]

How long can i store the mediums? Are the storage conditions the same for the medium of bacteria and mammalian cells?

Thanks.

 

[iansmith]

It will depends what in the medium. Typically you can store, at least with bacteria, the sterile medium at room temperature. However some component that are present in the media might be less stable at these condition and it will degraded after a certain amount of time. We also store unsterilized medium in the freezer. However some component might be damage during the thawing cycle. Light might also be a fator that chang the chemistry of the media.

Also the fresheness of the media might be a factor for the type of cell. E. coli can grow in a year one medium but some bacteria will not be capable of growing in medium that are more than a few days old.

Also keep in mind that evaporation will occur during storage. So make sure that your flask is tightly sealed if you are using a screw cap flask or add parafilm for the other type of cap.

 

[sotellme]

So we ususally store the media (both for bacteria and mammalian cells) in the refrigerator? Where should i store the enzymes' buffers and ordinary buffers?

Thanks.

 

[Moonbear]

So we ususally store the media (both for bacteria and mammalian cells) in the refrigerator? Where should i store the enzymes' buffers and ordinary buffers?

Thanks.

By ordinary buffers, do you mean things like PBS? Those can be stored at room temperature. For enzyme buffers, store them according to the package instructions.

If you're doing a lot of work with cell and molecular biology in the lab, you really should be reading the literature and getting this information from those sources specific to the cells, media and enzymes you're using in your own lab. You must have a mentor if you're in a lab; why is it that he/she is unable to answer these questions? I'm a little concerned that it sounds like you're in a lab with little to no experience in the methods you need to use and can't find someone nearby who can help teach you. There are a lot of little techniques about handling cultures to keep them sterile that are best learned by watching someone else and perfected by having someone else watch you.