Yeast Glucose Chloramphenicol Agar (YGC): Premium Medium for Fungal Isolation and Enumeration
Catalog Number: AS-1381
Introduction
Yeast Glucose Chloramphenicol Agar (YGC) is a specialized medium designed for the isolation, cultivation, and enumeration of yeasts and molds from various samples. Renowned for its effectiveness in suppressing bacterial growth while promoting robust fungal development, YGC Agar is an indispensable tool in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and environmental industries. Trust in our high-quality YGC Agar to deliver consistent and reliable results in your laboratory applications.
Key Features
Selective Medium: Contains chloramphenicol to inhibit bacterial contamination, ensuring selective growth of fungi.
Rich Nutrient Composition: Provides essential nutrients to support optimal growth of a wide variety of yeasts and molds.
Versatile Applications: Suitable for testing in food products, beverages, water samples, and environmental monitoring.
Easy to Use: Straightforward preparation and handling, ideal for routine laboratory procedures.
Consistent Quality: Manufactured under stringent quality control standards for reliable and reproducible results.
Composition
| Ingredient | Concentration (g/L) |
|---|---|
| Glucose | 20.0 |
| Yeast Extract | 5.0 |
| Chloramphenicol | 0.1 |
| Agar | 14.9 |
| Total | 70.1 |
Final pH (25°C): 6.6 ± 0.2
Applications
1. Food and Beverage Industry
Quality Control: Detects and enumerates yeast and mold contaminants in dairy products, juices, alcoholic beverages, and processed foods.
Shelf-Life Studies: Monitors fungal growth over time to assess product stability and expiration dates.
Regulatory Compliance: Supports adherence to international food safety standards such as ISO, FDA, and HACCP guidelines.
2. Pharmaceutical Industry
Microbial Limit Testing: Ensures pharmaceutical products meet stringent microbial contamination specifications.
Raw Material Testing: Validates the microbiological quality of ingredients used in production.
3. Environmental Monitoring
Water Testing: Evaluates the presence of yeasts and molds in potable water, recreational water, and wastewater.
Air Quality Assessment: Monitors airborne fungal spores in cleanrooms and controlled environments.
4. Cosmetic Industry
Product Safety: Tests cosmetic and personal care products for fungal contamination to guarantee consumer safety.
Advantages
Selective Suppression of Bacteria: Chloramphenicol effectively inhibits bacterial growth without affecting fungi.
Enhanced Fungal Recovery: High glucose concentration promotes vigorous growth of various fungal species.
Clear Results: Provides well-defined colony morphology for easy identification and enumeration.
Time-Efficient: Reduces the need for extensive sample preparation and incubation periods.
Preparation Instructions
Medium Preparation
Weigh the Medium: Suspend 40 grams of YGC Agar powder in 1 liter of distilled or deionized water.
Mix: Stir until the medium is fully dissolved.
Heat: Gently heat the suspension with frequent agitation until boiling. Do not overheat.
Sterilize: Autoclave at 121°C for 15 minutes.
Cooling and Pouring
Cool: Allow the sterilized medium to cool to 45-50°C.
Pour Plates: Aseptically dispense the medium into sterile Petri dishes.
Solidify: Let the agar solidify at room temperature.
Storage of Prepared Plates
Shelf Life: Store plates inverted at 2-8°C and use within 7 days for optimal performance.
Protection: Keep plates in sealed plastic bags or containers to prevent dehydration and contamination.
Usage Guidelines
Sample Preparation
Dilution: Prepare serial dilutions of the sample to achieve countable colony numbers (ideally 10-150 colonies per plate).
Inoculation: Apply 0.1 mL of the appropriate dilution onto the surface of the agar plate (spread plate method).
Incubation
Temperature: Incubate plates at 25°C.
Time: Standard incubation period is 3-5 days. Some molds may require longer incubation (up to 7 days).
Conditions: Incubate in an inverted position to prevent condensation from dripping onto the agar surface.
Enumeration
Counting Colonies: After incubation, count the colonies. Yeasts typically appear as creamy, moist colonies, while molds exhibit filamentous growth.
Calculation: Determine the number of colony-forming units (CFU) per gram or milliliter of the sample based on dilution factors.
Quality Control
Recommended Control Strains
| Organism | ATCC Number | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Candida albicans | ATCC® 10231™ | Good growth |
| Aspergillus niger | ATCC® 16404™ | Good growth |
| Saccharomyces cerevisiae | ATCC® 9763™ | Good growth |
| Escherichia coli | ATCC® 25922™ | Inhibited |
Performance Testing
Perform quality control tests with reference strains to ensure the medium's selectivity and efficacy.
Verify that bacterial growth is inhibited while fungal growth is supported.
Storage:
Keep the container at 15-30 °C and prepared medium at 2-8 °C.
