Hi, I'm looking for a product recommendation. I want to seal microplates containing bacteria for an overnight growth curve at 30-37 degrees C. The job of the seal is to keep moisture from escaping but allow oxygen in. It has to do this and also be transparent enough for absorbance readings through the seal, be sterile to not contaminate cultures, be sticky on the bottom (i.e. not for a heat sealer but rather peel and stick), and not be sticky on the top (i.e. not gum up the works inside our plate reader). In the past, we have used "Breathe Easy" seals but they're not so transparent and they're too sticky on top. What do you use for these situations? It seems a common enough methodology that surely there's a solution out there. Thanks!!!
I think any sort of sealing tape is going to get some condensation on the top which will pose a bit of an issue when reading. Many labs don't seal but just use lidded plates that permit some air flow. You don't get too much evaporation if you have a humidified incubator (which can be as simple as a pan of water). But I think you really need a breathable membrane seal and not a simple tape seal otherwise your cultures will go anaerobic.
Hi,
This is a membrane I use for a different purpose but have a similar function as you wanted. Check it out.
https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/US/en/product/sigma/z380059
Hi,
In my understanding, you may need to put that plate into a microplate reader overnight.
In that case, if you are afraid of the edge effect (the evaporation usually is faster in the edge), you may consider only using the inside wells of the plate and filling the edge wells with water to maintain humidity. A higher volume of solution in each well may also help to get a more accurate OD value.
Also, there are some specially designed 96-well plates to reduce the edge effect via moat. I tried Nunc Edge 2.0 96 Well Plate - Anti-Edge Effect Plate, but it did not work well. Still, you may consider other similar choices (such as https://www.eppendorf.com/uploads/media/Application-Note_326_Cell-Culture-Plate-96-Well_A-simple-method-of-m_eng_01.pdf).
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