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Additives & Chemicals
Glycerine (130mL)
Food grade glycerine for the lab. Its main job in mushroom work is as a cryoprotectant, so you can freeze mycelium and spores without ice damage killing them. Supplied in a 130mL bottle.
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Non-toxic, plant-derived, USP food grade.
USP grade glycerine, minimum 99.5 percent purity
Cryoprotectant for freezing cultures and spore stocks
Low hazard, non-toxic by skin contact and ingestion
The short version
Glycerine, also called glycerol, is a clear, thick, faintly sweet liquid. The bottle we supply is USP food grade at a minimum of 99.5 percent purity, the same grade used in food and cosmetics.
In mushroom work its main use is as a cryoprotectant. Mixed into a culture and frozen, it cuts the ice crystals that would otherwise rupture cells, so mycelium and spores survive long-term cold storage. It is also a humectant, meaning it holds moisture, which can help keep a suspension even.
WHAT IT IS
What glycerine is
Glycerine (glycerol, E422) is a simple sugar alcohol. It is a clear, odourless, syrupy liquid with a faintly sweet taste. Our bottle is USP food grade at a minimum of 99.5 percent purity, plant derived.
It is hygroscopic, which means it pulls water out of the air and holds it. That single property explains most of what it does in the lab. It protects cells during freezing and it keeps watery mixtures from drying out.
HOW TO USE IT
Using glycerine to freeze cultures
The most common and best supported use is as a cryoprotectant for long-term storage of mycelium and spores in a freezer. You make up a sterile glycerine and water solution, mix your culture into it, and freeze it. The glycerine reduces the ice damage that would otherwise kill the cells.
Make a stock solution
Mix glycerine with water and sterilise it. A 10 percent final glycerine concentration is the figure ATCC gives for filamentous fungi. Many lab protocols use anywhere from 10 to 25 percent. Pick one figure and keep to it.
Add your culture
Suspend scraped mycelium, agar plugs or a spore sample into the glycerine solution in a clean vial. ATCC uses three or four agar plugs in about 0.4mL of 10 percent glycerine per vial. Work cleanly, since the vial goes into long storage.
Freeze and label
Cap, label with strain and date, and freeze. A normal home freezer holds short to medium term stocks. Colder storage at minus 80 degrees or in liquid nitrogen vapour keeps cultures viable for years. To revive a vial, thaw it quickly, for example in a warm water bath at about 37 degrees, then transfer to fresh media.
Glycerine is mildly toxic to cells over time, so do not let a culture sit in the solution for long before freezing, and avoid thawing and refreezing the same vial. As a humectant, a small amount in a spore or culture suspension can help hold the contents together and slow drying, but treat any percentage you read online for syringes or liquid culture as a starting point to test, not a fixed rule, as these uses are far less well documented than freezing.
SPECIFICATION
Specification
| Chemical name | Glycerine / glycerol (E422) |
|---|---|
| CAS number | 56-81-5 |
| Grade | USP food grade |
| Purity | Minimum 99.5 percent |
| Source | Plant derived |
| Appearance | Clear, colourless, viscous liquid |
| Volume | 130mL |
STORAGE AND SAFETY
Storage and safety
Glycerine is a low hazard material. It is non-toxic by skin contact and by ingestion in normal amounts, which is why it is used in food and cosmetics, and the FDA lists it as generally recognised as safe. It is not a flammable liquid. Its flash point is around 160 degrees, so it is combustible only under strong heat. Keep it away from open flame and high heat.
Store the bottle tightly closed in a cool, dry place. Because glycerine draws in water from the air, leaving it open will dilute it over time, so close the cap after use. Keep out of reach of children.
WHAT IT IS NOT
What glycerine does not do
Glycerine is not a sterilant or a disinfectant. It does not kill contamination and will not clean your work area, so it is no substitute for proper sterile technique, a pressure cooker or a flow hood.
It is not a nutrient source for a normal grain or fruiting grow, and it is not needed for a standard kit. Its value is specific. It protects cells through freezing and holds moisture in a suspension. If you are not freezing cultures, you may not need it at all.
Common questions
Frequently asked
Mainly as a cryoprotectant, so you can freeze mycelium and spores for long-term storage without ice damage killing them.
A 10 percent final glycerine concentration in sterile water is the standard figure from ATCC for filamentous fungi. Protocols range up to about 25 percent.
Yes. Make up your glycerine and water solution and sterilise it before mixing in a culture, since the vial goes into long storage.
A home freezer works for short to medium term. For years of viability use minus 80 degrees or liquid nitrogen vapour.
It is mildly toxic to cells over time, so do not let the culture sit in the solution before freezing, and do not keep thawing and refreezing the same vial. At freezing strength it protects far more than it harms.
Yes. Glycerine is non-toxic and low hazard. Keep it sealed, cool and away from strong heat, and out of reach of children.
It is USP food grade at a minimum of 99.5 percent purity, suitable for lab and culture use.
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Questions and answers
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Supplied for laboratory, microscopy and legal gourmet cultivation use. Glycerine is a food grade additive and is not a medicine.
We work hard to keep this information accurate and to cite reputable sources, but the occasional mistake can still slip through. Always check the product label and a current reference before relying on any figure for something important.