Malt extract agar
Petri dish with malt extract agar | |
| Uses | Microbiological culture Fungiculture |
|---|---|
| Related items | Petri dish Growth medium Agar plate |
Malt extract agar or MEA, also called light malt extract media, LME, is a culture medium commonly used for the cultivation of fungi. It mainly contains the extract of malted barley. Other ingredients such as peptone, dextrose or yeast extract may also be included.[1] Malt extract agar is popular for the detection, isolation and enumeration of yeasts and moulds as well as the culture of edible mushrooms.[2][3]
Typical composition
A basic recipe is shown in the following chart.[4][3]
value ingredients & conditions 1000 mL water 30 g light malt extract 20 g agar powder
some recipes also include around 5 g of peptone and/or 20 g of dextrose per litre.[2][1]
The ingredients are generally heated until boiling to dissolve the agar and autoclaved before being left to cool to a safe temperature and then added to petri dishes or other culture vessels.[2]
In some cases the agar is omitted resulting in a liquid media referred to as malt extract broth. This may be used for the liquid culture of fungal mycelium among other things.