Slants

Slants are a style of agar designed for longer term storage. A slant is a tube of agar, poured and cooled at an angle to create more surface area in the tube, with a deep body of growing media.

Slants work for longer term storage than a plate because there is a lower volume of air inside the vessel, and lower surface area leads to reduced water loss in the agar. Dried out agar is a major problem in cold storage of agar plates for long durations, as the refrigerated environment typically has very low humidity.

Materials

• 15ml Centrifuge Tubes
• Centrifuge tube rack, or some other way to support your tubes at an angle while they cool
• Agar recipe, such as LMEA
• Wood Tounge Depressors (optional)

Process

Making slants is a process very similar to making plates, with just a few changes. Slants are intended for long term culture storage, so it is vital to maximize your sterile technique, keeping the slants as clean as possible. Take your time, work slowly, work clean.

Instructions

1. Break up your tounge depressors (if using) and place a small piece in each tube. Each piece should be long, but leave a little head space in the tube.
2. Place all your tubes in the rack, and tilt it so all tubes are at an angle.
3. Follow your agar recipe process up to the pouring step.
4. In a sterile environment, pour agar into each centrifuge tube, mostly covering the wooden piece, but leaving a small bit exposed.
5. Seal tubes, cool, and store at room temperature.
6. After about four days, check your slants for contamination before use.