I need to perform barcoding on a subset of specimen from arthropod bulk samples. As I want to be able to detect endoparasitoids as well, I am considering freezing my samples instead of storing them in ethanol, to avoid contamination with non-target DNA from the bulk sample.
However, I read that freezing-thawing cycles may damage the DNA, and I will need to thaw and refreeze the samples once or twice to separate the target specimen from the bulk.
Hence I am wondering what could be the best compromise between limiting contamination and preventing excessive damage to the DNA.
Could filling up the samples with 99% ethanol shortly before freezing help?
Thank you in advance for your help!
95% ethanol works, yes. It also depends greatly on how long you will be preserving the specimens for.
I've heard from arachnologist friends that hand sanitizer is really efficient in preservation of arthropod DNA, I didn't look into it extensively, but I did a quick search and found this article describing the benefits and limitations:
https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/everyday-innovations/hand-sanitizer-preserving-insect-dna.htm
The article also mentions ethylene glycol-based automobile antifreeze as a viable preservative too.
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