FAQs

Can dextrose or maltodextrin be used as a standardization filler in bacteriological grade agar?

Absolutely not. While blending dextrose (D-glucose) or maltodextrin into industrial food-grade agar is a standard, legally compliant method to dilute and calibrate shifting batch gel strengths (e.g., mapping exactly to 700g/cm2 or 900g/cm2), these organic fillers are strictly banned in bacteriological grade agar. Introducing foreign carbohydrate carbon sources into laboratory culture media disrupts precise formulations, triggers uncontrolled non-selective bacterial overgrowth, causes false-positive biochemical fermentation results (such as unwanted gas production or misleading pH indicator color shifts), and can render diagnostic media completely useless.