Bench Buys

Madison, Wis.-based Novagen's ColiRoller™ plating beads replace the "hockey stick" method of bacterial plating. Bacteria are commonly spread on agar plates with a bent glass rod that must be immersed in ethanol and placed briefly in an open flame before use; this method can result in uneven spreading and is tedious when preparing multiple plates. ColiRoller beads are a more efficient alternative--simply pipette cells onto a plate, add 10-20 beads, and tilt the plate back and forth to spread. An entire stack of plates can be spread simultaneously using this method. The beads are shaken off after application. One package of ColiRollers contains enough beads to prepare 50-75 plates, and has a list price of $7.50.

Novagen Inc.
(800) 526-7319
www.novagen.com

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