Agar Agar Powder is an ingredient used in the preparation of Nutrient Plates (see recipe below). It is a gelatinous substance obtained from seaweed and used in biological culture media and as a thickener in food. A Nutrient Plate is a Petri Dish with a ready-made nutrient mixture on which a mycelium culture can be grown.

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MEA Ingredients:
11g Agar Agar Powder
8g Barley Malt Extract
500ml boiling water

PDA Ingredients:
11g Agar Agar Powder
1-3g Dextrose Powder
500ml hot potato broth

Method:

This recipe makes 40 x 65mm plates
Mix all the ingredients very well and until there are no lumps.
Pour the mixture into 2 x 250ml or 1 x 600 ml Glass Beaker and cover it with Heavy Duty Foil. Wrap the foil tightly over the beaker as it acts as a splash cover.
Place the Glass Beaker/s in a Pressure Cooker and get it to operating temperature and pressure. From this point, cook for 45 minutes.
Allow the pressure to release, then remove the Glass Beaker/s from the Pressure Cooker and wait for the temperature of the mixture to drop to 45°C.
In a glove box, pour the mixture into the Petri Dishes, then allow the mixture to cool.
Once cooled seal the Nutrient Plate with Parafilm. Watch our FREE on How to seal a petri dish->www.mushroomguru.co.za/videos9817.html