aseptic technique

Question 1

state the scientific definition of culture

Answer 1

to grow microorganisms (such as bacteria) for scientific study

Question 2

what do petri dishes contain?

Answer 2

a nutrient jelly called agar

Question 3

what does aseptic technique help do?

Answer 3

avoid contamination of equipment and it allows one organism to be investigated at a time

Question 4

state the 5 steps of aseptic technique

Answer 4

1. petri dishes and culture media (agar) must be sterilised before use
2. agar in Petri dishes must be set
3. inoculating loops, used to transfer the bacteria to the agar, must first be sterilised by passing them through a flame
4. the lid of the Petri dish should be secured with tape and stored upside down
5. in school laboratories the culture should be incubated at 25 °C.

Question 5

what is an inoculating loop?

Answer 5

a metal loop used to transfer culture

Question 6

what is the purpose of the agar?

Answer 6

to provide the culture with nutrients to grow

Question 7

why must you leave a gap for air to get into the dish?

Answer 7

so the culture has oxygen to respire

Question 8

why should the dish be secured with tape and stored upside down?

Answer 8

to avoid contanimation from bacteria in the air, and to avoid condensation damaging the culture