Biodegradable Agar Cups | MEA | MEAG

Biodegradable Cups melts above 50°C , order at your own risk.If you anticipate higher temperatures in your region, do not order this product or order along with the ice pack.

After the huge success of our Agar containers, we want to bring to you Biodegradable agar cups v2.0, don’t feel bad about wasting single-use petri dish again for growing spores or doing isolation and transfer. These cups have you covered.

They come in 2 different types.

Antibacterial MAlt Extract Agar (MEAG)- To Grow Spores

Malt Extract Agar (MEA)-Test Liquid culture or spore syringe for contamination, Isolation or transfer.

Our biodegradable agar cups are poured just right, which helps retain moisture for longer, prevent the container from drying, and make your cultures last longer. The right pour is essential to making the isolation and transfer to another agar plate easier.

We also offer MEA and MEAG Petri dishes for those looking for a larger surface area and a more traditional culturing option.

These cups must be stored in a cool, dark spot away from direct sunlight, direct heat, or cold sources like a fan or a heater. Once the cup is colonised to the desired level, it can be kept in the fridge to slow down the mycelium growth. These containers are more contamination-resistant than a petri dish and do not require parafilm, making them very economical. However, if kept sealed, they cannot preserve the mycelium longer than 3 months as they do not have any breathing holes. Opening them occasionally will help remove all carbon dioxide and introduce fresh air, helping them keep longer than 3 months. However, do so in a clean, sterile space.

Shelf life: The 0.5 cm agar layer gradually shrinks and eventually dries into a thin, paper-like cracker over 4–8 weeks. For this reason, these cups are best suited for short-term use, such as contamination testing (MEA), spore germination, or performing transfers to clean up a culture before moving it to an agar plate.

The shelf life can extend to up to 6 months when the cups are stored in cooler temperatures. However, during warmer months, increased heat and continuous evaporation significantly shorten their usable life.

MEA agar is the most versatile medium for growing fungi, but the only downside is that it will grow anything that is introduced to it. So, it may not be best to use it for growing spores, for example. Spore syringes or spore prints may carry some contamination in them, and they will also start growing. Using a MEAG will reduce the risk of at least bacterial contamination from showing up on the plate, as bacteria cannot propagate on the MEAG medium. Therefore, use MEA, especially if you want to test the culture, spore print, or syringe is clean.

Get Pre-Poured Agar Plates instead in our store.

This Products is shipped from Marrickville, Sydney.

Shipping Cost and Time—The shipping cost will be displayed on the checkout screen.

Handling Time—Packages typically takes 0-3 days to prepare for shipment. Unless otherwise stated as ‘Lead time’ on the listing as something different.

Please note that handling time may vary, especially during busy holidays or sale period.

Certain products, like Colonised agar plates or Sawdust spawn, Spray and grow kit, have longer handling times as they are made to order.