Lecithin Agar 500g

Lecithin Agar is a general-purpose culture medium recommended for the detection and recovery of bacterial contamination from environmental surfaces in both protected and unprotected areas. It is commonly used as part of environmental monitoring programmes and is also suitable for the microbiological examination of water samples and cosmetic products where disinfectant residues may be present.

The formulation contains tryptone and soya peptone to provide essential nutrients that support the growth of a broad range of non-fastidious bacteria. A combination of lecithin, polysorbate 80 (Tween® 80), sodium thiosulphate and L-histidine acts as a neutralising system, helping to inactivate residual disinfectants that may otherwise inhibit microbial recovery.

Lecithin neutralises quaternary ammonium compounds, while polysorbate 80 helps neutralise phenolic disinfectants, hexachlorophene, formalin and, together with lecithin, ethyl alcohol. Sodium thiosulphate neutralises halogens, mercurial compounds and aldehydes, while L-histidine functions as a reducing agent to further improve microbial recovery.

This medium supports luxuriant growth of common quality control organisms such as Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 following incubation at 35–37°C for 18–24 hours.

Applications

• Environmental surface monitoring
• Detection of bacterial contamination in cleanrooms and controlled environments
• Pharmaceutical microbiology
• Cosmetic microbiology
• Water microbiology
• Quality control laboratories
• Validation of cleaning and disinfection procedures

Key Features

• General-purpose bacterial recovery medium
• Neutralises a wide range of disinfectants and sanitising agents
• Suitable for protected and unprotected manufacturing areas
• Supports recovery of microorganisms exposed to antimicrobial residues
• Recommended for pharmaceutical, cosmetic and water testing applications
• Supplied as a dehydrated powder for media preparation

Final pH: 7.3 ± 0.2 at 25°C