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GCSE Biology · key term
A nutrient material, such as agar jelly, on or in which microorganisms can grow.
Used by Edexcel and OCR
Specification 5.17B · Paper 1
Revise: Aseptic TechniquesMicroorganisms need nutrients to grow, so a Petri dish may contain agar jelly as a growth medium. Before a culture is set up, an autoclave uses hot, pressurised steam to sterilise the growth medium and suitable Petri dishes. Sterilising kills microorganisms already present.
Specification B6.3p · Paper 2 (Foundation), Paper 4 (Higher)
A nutrient-containing material, such as agar, on or in which microorganisms can grow.
Distinguish sterilising equipment or growth medium before use from reducing contamination while a culture is being handled.
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To study microorganisms, such as bacteria, scientists grow them on a growth medium. A Petri dish may contain nutrient agar: a jelly-like medium that supplies what the microorganisms need to grow. Unfortunately, it could also support microorganisms that arrive from the air, hands or equipment.