Ashby’s Sucrose Agar A1 Quality – HX-MEDIA

Ashby’s Sucrose Agar – HX-MEDIA

Product Overview

Ashby’s Sucrose Agar is a selective, nitrogen-free culture medium used for the isolation and cultivation of free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria, particularly Azotobacter. The absence of combined nitrogen sources in the medium promotes the growth of organisms capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen.

Sucrose Agar serves as the primary carbon source, supporting the growth of Azotobacter species, which typically form large, mucoid colonies. The medium suppresses the growth of non-nitrogen-fixing bacteria, enhancing selectivity.

It is widely used in soil microbiology, agricultural research, and environmental studies to isolate and study nitrogen-fixing organisms. Ashby’s Sucrose Agar provides reliable performance, clear colony morphology, and effective selectivity, making it essential for research and routine analysis of soil microbial populations.

🔬 Key Features

• Sucrose as primary carbon source supports robust growth

• Selective for nitrogen-fixing bacteria (Azotobacter spp.)

• No fixed nitrogen added; relies on atmospheric nitrogen fixation

• Contains essential salts and buffering agents for optimal bacterial growth

• Ideal for isolation, cultivation, and maintenance of free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria

• Powder form for convenient preparation and sterilization

🧪 Composition (Typical)

• Sucrose: 20 g/L – carbon source

• Dipotassium Phosphate: 0.2 g/L – buffer

• Magnesium Sulfate: 0.1 g/L – magnesium and sulfur source

• Sodium Chloride: 0.05 g/L – osmotic balance

• Potassium Sulfate: 0.05 g/L – potassium and sulfur source

• Calcium Carbonate: 2 g/L – calcium and buffer

• Agar: 15 g/L – solidifying agent

• Distilled Water: 1 L

• pH: ~7.0 ± 0.2

🎯 Applications

• Isolation of Azotobacter from soil and environmental samples.

• Research in nitrogen-fixation, plant-growth-promoting bacteria, and agricultural microbiology.

• Maintenance of pure cultures of free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

• Teaching laboratories for studying soil microbiology and microbial physiology

🛠️ How to Use

• Dissolve ~40.7 g of the dehydrated medium per 1 L of distilled water.

• Heat to dissolve completely.

• Autoclave at 121°C for 15 minutes.

• Pour into sterile Petri plates and allow to solidify.

• Inoculate soil or environmental samples for isolation and enumeration.

👍 Ideal For

✔ Microbiology Labs
✔ Schools & Universities
✔ Research Institutions
✔ Industrial QC Labs
✔ DIY Science Enthusiasts