Hello. I am looking for a cheaper alternative to propionic acid which I can use for breeding Drosophila. I am currently teaching Evolutionary Biology and I would like my students to conduct experiment using Drosophila melanogaster. I would like them to breed these flies, expose them to different conditions and see if there are changes in their morphology. I think this would be a great experience for my Biology students to do this experiment.
I have tried using vinegar as alternative during my previous classes last semester but it was not very effective and we have acquired poor results.
Thank you.
Diamed has a Propionic Acid/Sodium Salt/Fly Food Preservative, but I am not sure how cost effective it is compared to what you are paying now. Probably not cheaper.
The propionic acid is in the fly food as a general microbial inhibitor, I have been able to get away without it as long as some other preservative is present (e.g. methylparaben/Tegosept, but this might not be cheaper).
If you really want to save on cost, you might be better off going with some oldschool way, like culturing flies on a banana/yeast mix (see attachment). I would keep an eye out for mold and bacteria though.
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