BioPaddles® – Nutrient Agar (NA)

BioPaddles® – Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SAB)

Storage/Expiration

Store tightly sealed BioPaddles® in a cool, dry location. Shield from direct sunlight. Store BioPaddles® at room temperature (65 to 77°F/18 to 25°C). Avoid sudden temperature changes. Temperature fluctuations may result in condensation settling at the bottom of the vial. This will not affect the culture properties, but could reduce the shelf-life or cause the agar to separate from the plastic paddle support. Do not refrigerate. Refrigeration may result in water condensation. Avoid freezing. If freezing occurs, thaw for 3-6 hours in the refrigerator (40°F; 4.4°C). Freezing can promote excess water loss and variation in media surface due to crystal formation. Refer to Best Before End date (See: BBE stamped on vial). Discard if paddle agar appears oxidized and darker than the expected color or if contaminants appear. The expiration date is based on medium in an intact container that is stored as directed.

Sampling

Liquids: Twist to remove paddle from vial. Fill vial to 40 mL fill line with the liquid to be sampled. The 40 mL volume can be used to calculate Total Viable Count (TVC) and/or Total Colony Count (TCC). Replace paddle. Allow a contact time of 15 seconds. Remove the paddle. Empty the vial. Replace the paddle in the vial.

Surfaces: Twist to remove paddle from vial. Allow the paddle surface (10 cm2) to come into physical contact with the test surface. Recovery rate is about 50%. To ensure an accurate recovery, gently sweep (or touch) the paddle to cover a 20 cm2 area. Replace paddle in vial.

Incubation

Colony Measuring

Each BioPaddles® paddle has molded media attachment points that are 4mm in length (point-to-point). This feature provides a useful guidepost to estimating nearby colony size.

Disposal

Twist to remove paddle from vial. Fill vial to 40 mL fill line with 1:9 dilution of household bleach (5.25% sodium hypochlorite). Replace paddle in vial. Allow 15 minute contact time. Remove paddle. Discard bleach solution. Replace paddle in vial and dispose. Alternatively, loosen cap and microwave for 30 seconds, autoclave, or incinerate.