Tubed media are ideal for cultures requiring prolonged incubation, since many can be incubated with caps tightly closed to prevent dehydration and subsequent inhibition of growth. BBL Prepared Tubed Media reduce possible contamination. Special long-necked, rubber lined screw caps eliminate danger of contamination that can occur when cotton plugs are improperly seated. Larger-sized tubes with wider diameters permit easy inoculation and handling of media.
Tubes are borosilicate glass with black screw caps securely fitted to prevent loss of moisture.
Most tubes contain a special resilient rubber liner which is affixed inside each cap using a unique adhesive that resists displacement even during autoclaving. BBL Prepared Tubed Media are manufactured in a wide variety of sizes dependent upon the application of the individual culture medium. These usually contain approximately 10 ml of media. When filled with TSI Agar or similar differential agars, approximately 7 ml are used to produce the characteristic long butt with short slant needed for these special-purpose media. Amies Transport media are filled to the cap.