Agar Bacteriological (Laboratory Grade)

Bacteriological agar (CAS 9002-18-0) is the purified polysaccharide extracted from red seaweed that sets microbiological culture media into a firm, clear gel that bacteria cannot digest. Global Chemicals LLC supplies the bacteriological grade from stock in Muscat in 100 g, 500 g and 1 kg containers, with a gel strength of 600–700 g/cm², a gelling temperature of about 40 °C, a melting temperature of about 85 °C and a low content of salts and nutrients, so the agar itself adds nothing to the medium it sets.

Those numbers are what the laboratory relies on. Because agar melts at 85 °C but does not set until it cools to 40 °C, media can be held molten at 45–50 °C while heat-sensitive supplements such as blood, antibiotics or sugars are added, then poured into plates and slants that stay solid at incubator temperatures up to 45 °C. The usual concentration is 15 g/L (1.5%); 7–10 g/L gives a soft motility or semi-solid medium and 20 g/L a firm surface for streaking. Dissolve the powder by boiling with stirring before autoclaving at 121 °C for 15 minutes; repeated re-melting weakens the gel, so melt only what will be poured.

Oman's hospital diagnostic laboratories, food-safety and seafood-testing laboratories, water-quality laboratories, pharmaceutical QC and university microbiology departments use it to prepare nutrient agar, blood agar, MacConkey agar, Mueller-Hinton agar for antibiotic sensitivity testing, and selective media such as TCBS for Vibrio detection in seafood, as well as plate-count and membrane-filtration media for water analysis.

Each lot ships with a certificate of analysis stating gel strength, gelling and melting points, moisture, ash and microbial purity, plus a safety data sheet; endotoxin and inhibitor data are available for cell-culture and pharmaceutical users. Store the powder dry and closed at room temperature; it keeps for years. For the full reagent list, grades and documentation, see the laboratory chemicals supplier guide linked on this page.

Delivery is same day within Muscat, next day to Sohar, Nizwa, Salalah and Duqm, and by road across the GCC with a certificate of origin. Request a quote with the pack size and quantity.