Media Use

Convenient dehydrated culture media of the highest quality are supplied for the growth of a wide range of heterotrophic organisms. For organisms with more diverse nutritional requirements, Fluka offers a large selection of media ingredients ranging from simple sugars to pH and redox indicators. A selection of commonly used dyes and additives is also included.

Other components, e.g. water soluble salts of trace elements, vitamins, antibiotics amino acids, purines, pyrimidines, chemical agents to induce mutation and inhibitors, etc., can be found in the Fluka catalogue on Chemika-Biochemica.

The Dehydrated Culture Media range is continuously being expanded. Please contact us for further information.

Environmental Analysis

In the field of environmental microbiology most cultures have to be isolated and enriched from their natural habitats. With this in mind, Fluka supplies a range of media additives necessary for specialized media. For the detection and enumeration of microorganisms in complex natural systems such as soil, Fluka offers a range of fluorescent dyes.

Food and water contaminated by microorganisms (bacteria and yeasts), viruses and protozoa can cause severe disease in humans, especially in people weakened by illness or during convalescence, malnutrition, etc.

There are two categories of foodborne diseases. First, food poisoning is caused by the presence of microbial toxins in food products, e.g. by Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens (both produce enterotoxins which elicit enteric disease such as. diarrhoea) and Clostridium botulinum (botulism the most severe type of food poisoning).

Second, food infection is caused by the growth of microorganisms in the body after eating contaminated food, e.g. by Salmonella spp. (salmomonellosis) and Campylobacter jejuni (high fever, abdominal cramps). Many human pathogens are transmitted by fecally contaminated water, the most important are Salmonella typhi (typhoid fever) and Vibrio cholerae (cholera). Microbiological test procedures for the examination of food and water have been standardized and regulated, but nearly every country has its own regulations, the "Schweizerisches Lebensmittelhandbuch" being a case in point. All the necessary culture media, their additives, dyes and indicators which Fluka offers conform to Swiss regulations.