Microbiology lab questions What is the function of 005 agar

Microbiology lab questions:
What is the function of 0.05% agar in FTM? How is oxygen removed in GasPak?

Solution

FTM means fluid thyoglycollate medium is a enrichment broth that is used in diagnostic bacteriology. This medium support the growth of anerobic, aerobic, microaerophilic and fastidious microorganism. It contains .05% agar to prevent convection current from carrying atmospheric oxygen throughout the broth. These agar supplements create an anerobic environment deeper in the tube which allow anerobic bacteria to grow. It also retards dispersion of carbon di oxide and reducing substance from microenvironment surrounding the inoculum.

2. Gaspak is an anerobic jar that maintain anerobic conditions for the growth of strict anerobe. In a polycarbonate jar, water, sodium borohydrate, sodium bicarbonate , citric acid is present in sealed jar along with microbes. The solution react due to palladium catalyst to form hydrogen and carbondioxide. Then this hydrogen react with oxygen in the air resulting in condensation. This remove all the oxygen from jar , turning methylene blue strip to white to show lack of oxygen.