As part of our complete cell culture offering, Corning’s comprehensive line of standard and custom media helps create an optimal environment for all stages of cell culture growth and scaling. Our broad selection of vessels, surfaces, and media support your research, development, and production needs.
A broad range of liquid media is available for culturing cells, but you may want to consider preparing media from powdered stocks. Why? Well, using powdered stocks can mean experiments are completed faster if liquid media are unobtainable due to supply chain constraints. The price per liter may also be lower with powdered stocks, although preparation costs must still be factored in.
Other advantages of powdered stocks are that they let you prepare the base medium without supplements; they often have longer shelf lives than liquid products; and their use helps free up precious storage space in fridges and freezers. So, how do you prepare media from powdered stocks? Don’t worry, it’s pretty easy.
Simply weigh out the powder and add it to the diluent –typically cell culture grade water. Use an amount of diluent that is around 70 to 80% of the final volume and have it mixing on a stir plate as the powder goes in. Next, adjust the pH, if necessary, before adding any supplements, then top up with further diluent to reach the final volume. Finally, pass the media through a pre-sterilized filter to remove any bacteria. This last step should always be performed in a biological safety cabinet to keep your media sterile.
But how can you be sure that your media has the same high quality as an off-the-shelf liquid product? By following these best practices, you’ll have nothing to worry about.
Tip number 1. Make sure your powdered media comes with a detailed certificate of analysis and clear instructions for preparation. And remember to check that any additives are certified as cell culture grade.
Tip number 2. Be consistent with your preparation technique. Even small differences have the potential to impact cellular growth and skew experimental results.
Tip number 3. Always confirm that the pH and osmolarity of your media fall within the manufacturer’s specified range. This will ensure that the powder is fully solubilized, and keep your cells healthy and viable.
Tip number 4. Think about how you’ll filter the solution. As well as using correct aseptic technique, you’ll want to check you’re using the right filter for media sterilization. The filter membrane should have a pore size of 0.2 to 0.22 micron and should exhibit low protein binding to prevent removal of important media components. Also, remember to use the correct vacuum pressure for your chosen filtration unit. Too high, and you risk tearing the filter, which could lead to your cells becoming contaminated.
Tip number 5. Once you’ve finished preparing your media, label it clearly and store it according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
So, what are you waiting for? Keep powdered media options in mind for your next experiment and enjoy all the advantages they can bring. Corning Life Sciences offers a broad range of powdered media formulations, cell culture grade additives, sterile filtration units, and storage bottles. To learn more, visit corning.com/cellculture.