Culturing microbial populations

Pour plate technique

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Learn how to prepare a pour plate by following a stepwise virtual lab protocol. Explore good aseptic technique, flame sterilisation and using an automated pipette to dispense bacteria. Review the results of the pour plate and the reasoning behind decisions taken throughout.

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Learning outcomes

Familiarise yourself with the equipment required to prepare a pour plate.
Outline the key steps involved in making a pour plate and understand the reasoning behind each step.

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Skills

Using Instruments and Equipment

What equipment is required to perform the pour plate technique
Why plates should be labelled on their base and what it should detail
How to flame the neck of the culture and agar bottle
How to transfer the inoculum and molten agar into a Petri dish
Why working under a bunsen burner and flaming the neck of the bottles helps reduce contamination
How to handle the equipment to reduce the risk of contamination

Obtaining and Recording Data

Why plates should be placed upside down in the incubator
Why the plate should be gently swirled to mix the agar and the inoculum

Working in a Safe Manner

Why care must be taken when flaming the neck of the bottles
Why care must be taken when pipetting the inoculum and pouring the agar into the Petri dish

Concepts, Principles and Theories

How the appearance of colonies differs between those growing within the agar and those growing on the surface

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Student response from our Student Insights pilot survey

“I find using LabSims really helpful as preparation before a practical. It's useful to be able to carry out some of the practical techniques online before completing them in the lab, and they make me feel more confident about attempting these techniques during our lab sessions.”

Details

Degrees

Biological science

Biomedical science

Foundation science

Discipline

Microbiology

Topic

Culturing microbial populations

Purchase option

Bioscience LabSim Library

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